In the Right Light
by ebenn27
Summary: COMPLETE. A case takes the team to a small town, where JJ and Emily meet someone unexpected and discover a possibility they never considered. Eventual JJ/Emily/OC. Femslash.
1. Parts I through VI

**A/N: **I'm currently working without a beta, so this might be a little rough in patches, but I'll fix it more as I can. I have yet to decide how much of this story will end up getting posted. Read and Review and let me know what you think, also because it'll make my day much better. (And I have cookies...)

**Disclaimer:** Criminal Minds does not belong to me. I do not own JJ, Emily, Reid, Morgan, etc. (Though I do enjoy taking them out for a spin once in a while) Sam does belong to me however.

* * *

I.

The streets were dark, the night was black. Midnight black, a form of darkness that echoed the depths of Lucifer's soul. In this time, in this place, light did not exist. It was in this darkness, in a forgotten town, in a less important state, that evil played and preyed upon the world. Darkness, with a splatter of red.

* * *

II.

Five hundred miles away Emily Prentiss was almost ready to bang her head against a wall. All she'd wanted when she came into work that morning was to spend some time doing paperwork, take a chance to calm down after the case they'd just gotten back from, and perhaps sneak a few secretive glances towards a certain blonde press liaison. Instead, she'd been stuck listening to Morgan and Reid discussing the inconsistencies and flaws in procedural cop dramas on TV.

"All I'm saying Reid, is that if we were writing those stories, it'd be a lot more realistic."

The younger man perked up with an idea, "Well we could write the stories. There's this aspect of fiction called fanfiction. Where normal citizens, and well fans of the shows, take the characters and rewrite episodes, or even write their own complete stories revolving around the characters and what happens, or what doesn't happen in the show. It's actually become pretty popular. There are websites and forums and entire internet communities dedicated to the writing of fanfiction. The communities have their own languages, terms, slang, lingo. The whole idea is especially popular with writers who have pairings," looking up at Morgan, "like couples, who aren't canon in the show, or series, and who think they should be. This tends to lead to a population of slash and femslash. "again Reid paused and looked at Morgan, "Slash being male/male pairings, and femslash being female/fem-"

'I get it Reid."

"The point is, we could write them ourselves. We have experience with crime and criminals."

Emily groaned, thunking her head against her desk, "You know Reid, if someone were to write a story about what happens around here, you and Morgan would end up paired together."

Reid looked up at Emily, his mouth falling open, then looked at Morgan, and back at Emily, his jaw flapping open, uncharacteristically like a fish out of water.

JJ walked into the room and looked at the two men, before catching Emily's eyes and smiling. Emily, for her part, was doing her very best to keep from checking JJ out too obviously. JJ crossed the room and stood beside Emily, resting her hand on the brunettes shoulder lightly, "Em? Did you break him?"

"Apparently."

JJ's thumb traced circles lightly across Emily's shoulder, occasionally brushing the skin of her neck, both women lost themselves in the slight contact while watching Reid sputter. After a few more moments of comfortable silence, JJ sighed softly, "Anyway, we've got a case guys."

* * *

III.

The team was gathered around the conference room table, exchanging tired glances, they'd just flown back from Las Vegas. It'd been a tough case, they spent a week and a half on the trail of a sexual sadist with a penchant for young boys and asphyxiation. The case had been difficult. And now, less than 12 hours after arriving back home, they were needed again.

"Here is what we know," JJ began, "In the village of Yellow Springs, Ohio, there have been a series of five power outages over the last six months…"

"And that is our problem how?" Morgan had a knack for interrupting just before JJ started the sentence that would actually answer his question.

"During each of these outages, the longest of which was three hours, someone has been killing citizens of the village." JJ flicked an image onto the screen, "This is the first victim, Michael Kent, 26, worked at the local comic shop," In the photo Kent had been strapped, spread eagle, to the hood of a police car, and skinned. Another photo replaced the first, "Amber Washington, the second victim, 34, worked at the village book store." The body, naked and tied upside down to a telephone pole was slit at the throat and along the major arteries.

"There are another nine victims," JJ continued, "the Unsub averages two victims per blackout. Kent was the only victim the first night. Washington and one other fell victim the second night. The third and fourth nights the Unsub claimed two more apiece. Last night, he got four." A final image flicked up on the screen, JJ did her best to avoid looking at the photo on the screen as she continued, "Sally Karnes, 17, Stephen Arrows, 16, Lucas Farmer, 12 and Mary Putnam, 8." On the screen the four victims had been crucified on a series of makeshift crosses on the lawn outside a public elementary school. The crucifixions were complete with pierced sides, broken legs, and a crown of thorns.

No one said anything when Garcia left the room, fighting to breathe. JJ sighed before continuing, "All four were students in the local school system. The Yellow Springs Police Department has asked for our help. Until now they've been receiving help from other departments in the area, but after last night… well they need our help."

"What can you tell us about the rest of the victims JJ?" JJ glanced up from where she had been attempting to avoid the photos, letting her eyes rest on Emily and her most recent question.

"Eleven victims, all natives of the area. All killed in a different manner, aside from the last four. All the bodies are displayed publicly. None of the victims were reported missing prior to the black out. No evidence has been found at any of the scenes. No fingerprints, no DNA, nothing so much as a scrap of paper or a shred of cloth. The victims range in age from 8 to 54, both genders, multiple ethnicities. Aside from their origin, they appear to have nothing in common among the victims. But with a population of just under 4000 most citizens of the village are familiar with each other."

Reid asked the next question, "What about memberships? Political affiliations, church memberships? Book clubs? Any social event or gathering linking the victims?"

"Nothing that was included in the original file," JJ paused, "but that could be something no one has thought to look for. Any other questions?"

Hotch looked around the room, eyeing his team as they shook their heads no, "Wheels up in 30." With that the team left the room, making quick preparations for their newest mission.

* * *

IV.

The flight to Ohio was tense. No one knew what to think of the Unsub. Everything they knew so far seemed to be so disconnected and disjointed. Beyond that, everyone was already bone tired from their trip to Vegas. On top of their current exhaustion, was the frustrating lack of hotel accommodations in the small village. JJ was more than thrilled to hear that Garcia had managed to find a small Bed and Breakfast that had rooms available for the agents. From what Garcia had told her, the place was nicer than what they were actually used to, not to mention that the village was paying for their stay, a form of a thank you for their assistance on the case. The only problem with the B&B was a slight flaw in the room assignments. The B&B only had five rooms, and with Emily and JJ being the token women, it was an almost automatic that JJ and Emily would be bunking together.

* * *

V.

"Chief Jacobs?" JJ greeted the head of the Yellow Springs Police Department, "I'm Agent Jareau, we spoke on the phone?"

"Thank you for coming Agent Jareau," the chief looked tired and worn, as if a multitude of years had all just been piled upon his head at once.

"Please, call me JJ. We're glad to be able to help. Let me introduce our team SSAs Hotchner, Gideon, Morgan, Prentiss and Dr. Reid."

"Really, again, thank you all for coming. I'm sorry that we don't have a lot of room here. It's a small department and we're low on staff, but we've got a conference room available for your use. Let me first introduce you to all the others around here," Chief Jacobs gestured to each individual as he began his introductions, "Not all of these guys are mine. Deputy Jeff Greene here is on loan from the Green County Sheriff's Department. Detective Allie Wilson came to us from the Springfield City Police Department. Officers Mason Woods and Eric Salkin are two of our own," Jacobs was interrupted by a young woman in dark jeans and a dark blue button up shirt pushing her way into the precinct, her face was reddened from the wind outside and her blonde hair a bit ruffled, Jacobs just looked at her and smiled, "last but not least, our late arrival, Detective Samantha Stewart, one of Yellow Springs own."

* * *

VI.

For JJ it was as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. All she could see was this diminutive woman with striking green eyes. It literally took all of JJ's control not to waltz across the room and pull the shorter blonde to the side, and possibly out of sight, just to get to know her a little better.

When Sam saw Emily and JJ standing together inside the police station she suddenly understood every single cliché about love at first sight. Time stood still and she couldn't breathe, she felt like a moth drawn to a flame, a flame that existed in the light of the eyes of Emily and JJ.

Emily's response to the green-eyed blonde was more physical. She had this sudden desire to touch and feel the other woman. JJ was the only one close enough to hear the low growl that escaped Emily.

At almost the same moment all the women realized where they were and what there were supposed to be doing, a train of thought that snapped all three out of their trance like states. A state that had gone unnoticed by the others while the Chief rambled on about the website developed to help villagers prepare for dangerous situations.

Well, it went mostly unnoticed- they were in a room with some of the top profilers in the country after all. Luckily, for Morgan and Reid anyway, Emily, JJ and Sam didn't noticed the whispering and exchanging of money as bets were made by the two men.

The next few moments were spent shaking hands and making polite conversation. After a few minutes Jacobs looked towards the blonde detective," Sam – why don't you lead the agents to the conference room and show them what we've got so far?"

"Sure thing Chief," the detective nodded at JJ and the others, "if you'd like to follow me?" JJ and Emily fell into step with the detective, while Hotch and the rest of the team tried to get a feel for the department and the work being done on the case, "Like the Chief said," Sam began, "we really appreciate you all coming out here. We know we're not a big town and we know there are a lot of people out there who need your help. But we're just really out of our depth here."

Emily nodded at the young woman, "We understand and we're going to do our best to help catch this Unsub." JJ nodded her head in agreement.

Sam just smiled," Thanks," she turned a corner, "the conference room is right here," she opened the door for the two agents, "All the files we have on the case are in here, including everything we have on the victims. As you can see we set up a couple of computers in here and a few phone lines. I set it up this morning to make sure you had anything you need. There's a coffee maker in the back corner," at this Sam grinned mischievously, "There's a mini-fridge built into the cabinet below the coffee maker – you'll find a pound of one of the best coffees I've ever had in there. Thought you might need it."

Emily couldn't help but laugh when JJ perked up at the mention of coffee. "That's great, thanks."

Sam joined in the laughter and moved across the room to start a pot of coffee, "Is there anything else I can get you, Agents?"

JJ almost moaned as the scent of coffee, good - not the typical police department swill – coffee filled the area, "If that tastes anywhere as good as it smells, then feel free to call me JJ, Detective."

"Only if you call me Sam."

"And it's just Emily for me," Emily paused for a moment, losing herself in her thoughts before jumping back into the case, "Not to switch topics so suddenly, but I'm wondering what you can tell me about the first victim? And the blackouts?"

"And what you can tell us about the village itself?" The three women looked towards the door at the sound of Hotchner's voice, while the rest of the team finally made it into the conference room.

"Sure," Sam moved to take a seat at the table, searching through a stack of files, while everyone else made for the coffee and then settled down to hear the information. Sam glanced up, waiting on everything to settle in and noticed Emily was still standing, getting the last cup of coffee before resetting the coffee maker, "Emily… can you grab me a Mountain Dew from the fridge? I think I'm going to need it." Emily nodded and carried the can over to Sam, in the movement their hands brushed against each other and both women felt a spark at the contact. Sam and Emily locked eyes for a brief moment before Emily took the last open seat, right next to Sam.

"Yellow Springs is quite obviously a small village. We've got a collection of small locally owned shops and businesses. We get a decent amount of tourist activity on the weekends and during the spring and summer months. We're close to several state parks and with the bike path running through town we tend to be a fairly popular destination for local Ohioans. We had a college in town until a few years ago, when it shut down due to financial issues. There's still a branch of a larger university here in town, McGregor, it mostly services working adults who are going back to school for degrees. It's a small school, with many students coming from out of town to attend. The population of the village tends to be excessively liberal. And according to a friend of mine, it's where Charles Manson would like to live if he ever got out of jail."

"Well that's a positive thought."

Sam smiles at the other blonde, "I know JJ, let's hope I never have to face that man as a citizen. Emily… you asked about the power outages… They've been village wide, stretching out into the surrounding county. We have no idea what's causing them. Maintenance workers have checked all the equipment, all the power stations, nothing has been found. And when a black out does occur, it seems to fix itself for no apparent reason. We can find no reason for the beginning or the end of the outages. Beyond that, there are several stores and buildings in the area that have back up generators. Whenever one of these outages occurs, the generators don't kick in, despite being set to automatically back up the power. But, here's the other thing, when the power goes out from something else, like the storm we had roll through here last month, the generators come on with no problems. Not to mention that obviously no one died." Sam looked around the room for a moment, catching a few sets of eyes before continuing, "as best as I can figure out the Unsub has hacked into the village systems and the power grids, or something of the sort. Beyond that, I'm clueless on how he's doing this, and how he's knocking out the generators.'

Morgan spoke up, "If Garcia can get into the systems she might be able to find something…"

Emily leaned over to Sam, "Penelope Garcia, our resident Tech Analyst and supreme Goddess of information."

"Good to know – think she can ruin my ex's credit for me?" Aside from Gideon and Hotch the rest of the team couldn't help but chuckle at the hopeful look on Sam's face.

Morgan flipped open his phone and dialed Garcia, putting the phone on speaker he waited for the familiar voice of the tech analyst to answer the phone.

"Hello tall, dark and delicious – you've reached the office of supreme technical genius and brightly colored pens."

"Hey baby girl – you're on speaker, and there's a local listening in."

Sam grinned, "Now don't behave yourselves just on account of me."

"Oooh, this one's feisty, who is she? And can we keep her?"

Morgan nodded at Sam, "I'm Detective Samantha Stewart, though I hear I'm talking to a walking, talking Goddess, so Sam works just fine."

"Well nice to meet you sugar. But I'm guessing this isn't just a social call, and is instead related to something big, mean and nasty?"

Morgan jumped back in," Sorry about that girl, we need you to connect to the electric and power systems over here. See if you can find any way someone could have taken control of the city power remotely? Or if there are any traces behind of that happening?"

"Can do my lovely, hot, steaming, cup of chocolate. Anything else?"

"Not at the moment baby girl, we'll let you know if anything comes up."

Morgan ended the call and settled back in his seat, just smiling when he caught Sam's raised eyebrow.

Sam took a swig of her Mountain Dew and frowned when she realized it was empty, she moved to get another one while beginning the next part of the conversation, "So that leaves us with what we know about the first victim – Michael Kent…" She paused… settling back in her seat and playing with her can for a moment before continuing," Mike was only 26 when he died six months ago."

Emily looked at Sam, "You knew him?"

Sam nodded, "Mike was one of the first people I met when I moved into town. He worked at the comic shop and I used to stop by there all the time. Side effect of my nerd like tendencies I suppose. But Mike and I got to know each other pretty well. He was a good man, a good friend. I even managed to forgive him for voting republican." Sam smiled half heartedly, "I can tell you it was a hell of shock when I found him that morning. With the first outage we didn't realize anything was out of the ordinary until the next morning. The power was out from 9 pm until midnight. I was the first one due into the office the following morning, I'm usually here first anyway, no one else can be trusted to make decent coffee. The squad car we found him on had been moved to face the entrance of the parking lot. Mike…" Sam had to pause for a moment… "The body was strapped face up and spread eagle to the hood of the car. There wasn't any skin left. All that we could see were muscle and bone. There wasn't even any blood, which I remember as being really strange. We didn't even find out it was Mike for another 3 days. His sister reported him missing, and then we finally had someone we could match dentals to. That's all we have on his murder."

Sam continued to walk the team through the rest of the murders, one by one. The only connections that could be found were in the lack of evidence, the publicly displayed bodies, the power outages, and the extreme manners of death. None of the victims were known to be missing before the outages started.


	2. Parts VII through X

**A/N: **Okay, I wasn't going to post this next part for another couple of days, but I'm heading out for the rest of the day and figured I might as well. I hope you all are enjoying it, and now I just have to figure out how to bribe you all into reviewing... one review just ain't cutting it. Anyway, enjoy. And let me know what you think.

**Disclaimer:** Same thing as before, they aren't mine, I just like to play with them once in a while.

* * *

VII.

After the meeting with Sam the team split into pairs. Gideon and Reid went to the elementary school, where the last victims had been found, with Chief Jacobs. Morgan and Hotchner, accompanied by Detective Wilson and Officer Salkin went to the McGregor parking lot, where victims three and seven had been found.

Sam was left standing beside her ancient jeep with JJ and Emily, "Where to ladies?" Sam couldn't help but smile at the two FBI agents as she opened the doors for them, smiling as she watched JJ climb into the back seat.

Emily spoke up first, "Would it be possible to talk to Michael Kent's sister?" Sam nodded and reached for her phone, dialing a number from memory while climbing into the driver's seat and starting the car. "Tasha? … I know …I should call more often…" Emily caught JJ's eyes in the mirror and quirked her eyebrows as they listened to Sam's side of the conversation. "Yeah Tash… listen… it's about Mike… No, we've not found anything new. .. You heard about the kids right? … the FBI is here…. I know… I'm sorry too… They'd like to talk to you….But listen… please Tash… I promise… So can we come by? … Thanks…. See you in 20."

Sam hung up her phone and turned towards the two agents, "We've got to drive into Springfield; it should only take about 20 minutes."

JJ smiled, "Thanks Sam…" She paused, thinking… "that sounded friendly…"

Sam smiled sadly, "We dated. Mike introduced us not long after I joined the force. We're still good friends. After Mike died… I was the only one in the department she'd even talk to."

"Will she talk to us?" Emily couldn't help but ask the question, with so many victims and so little evidence; they couldn't afford to lose time with a family member that would refuse to help.

"I think so. She did make me promise to be there, so it should help. Even if I'm not the one asking the questions. It doesn't hurt matters that you're both more than attractive enough to keep her interested," Sam let the last bit come out with a chuckle. She was especially amused by the blush forming on JJ's cheeks. "Tasha always did have a weakness for women with a badge and a gun. But I'll let her know to be gentle with you two," Sam flashed a saucy wink at Emily before losing herself to laughter.

Half an hour later the jeep pulled up to a bright blue house surrounded by corn fields. There'd been a slight pit stop at a McDonald's on the way to see Tasha. The agents had been curious, but trusted that Sam had her reasons. Standing on the porch, knocking quietly and passing a large freezing cup back and forth between her hands, profiling skills or not, even JJ could see how nervous Sam was. The detective practically jumped out of her skin when Emily placed a hand on the small of her back, attempting to sooth her nerves.

* * *

VIII.

Standing there, waiting for the door to open, Emily couldn't help but wonder if she was half out of her mind. She knew she needed to focus, knew she needed to keep her mind on the case, but for once the walls of her compartments weren't quite as stable as she needed them to be. She wanted to blame the case, blame the Unsub, hell she even wanted to blame her mother, (her mother was after all, a regular stand by for blaming things on, Global Warming for example…. Her mother's fault) But the only thing that was different in Emily's world today, was a certain blonde haired, green eyed detective with a charming smile and an intriguing laugh. If there had been a desk available at the moment Emily would have been more than willing to bang her head against it. Emily was so lost in her own little world of blame and focus related issues that it took her a few moments to even realize that Sam had begun talking, "…sorta psychic. And I just thought I sh-"

"Wait… what?"

"Emily did you hear a single word I just said?" Bouncing on her heels, Sam sighed at Emily's guilty look. "I was saying that you should be careful with what you say around Tash… I know how crazy this sounds, but she's sorta psychic. Not like ghosts and mediums and séances with the dead or predicting next week's lottery numbers psychic. She just… she reads people, reads their relationships specifically. Sort of like the way you read crime scenes and criminals. She has a gift for seeing burgeoning relationships and potential. It makes people nervous sometimes, and if she get's distracted by what she thinks has potential, she can be really hard to get back on track."

It was only then that Emily realized her hand was still pressed against the small of Sam's back, and even worse, without realizing it, she'd begun stroking small circles against Sam's shirt, which was beginning to slide up slowly.

* * *

IX.

JJ thought she'd never seen anything cuter or funnier than how quickly Emily jerked her hand away from Sam's back. She might not be a profiler, but she wasn't blind. She noticed earlier that something had sparked between Emily and Sam. If either one would admit it however, was a different story.

"We'll be careful Sam. I promise to keep my hands to myself," JJ winked at Emily, "at least for now."

"I knew I shouldn't have brought you two with me…. You're going to get me in so much trouble." JJ just smiled innocently when Sam began banging her head against the door.

JJ moved to stand between Sam and the door, "Would you stop that. I really don't feel like cleaning up blood today."

Sam didn't actually realize how close JJ had gotten until her forehead touched flesh and she realized her head had settled quite softly between JJ's breasts.

Of course that would be the moment Tasha chose to open the door.

"Well Sammy honey, I thought you said this was a professional visit, not a pleasure one."

It was all JJ and Emily could do not to laugh as the detective's face turned bright red under the scrutiny of her ex girlfriend.

"Hiya Tash," Sam greeted her friend, while at the same time attempting to gracefully remove her face from JJ's cleavage. "I'd like you to meet Agent JJ Jareau and Agent Emily Prentiss; they're from the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI. Emily, JJ – meet Natasha Kent."

The women shook hands and exchanged pleasantries briefly before Sam broached the reason for the visit, "Tash, these lovely ladies need to ask you a few questions about Mike." Tasha frowned, only slightly, and only briefly, but Sam still caught it, "If it'll help I brought a present…" when Tasha quirked an eyebrow Sam offered the slightly less frozen beverage from McDonalds complete with sing-song voice, "strawberry milkshake… it's your favorite."

Tasha smiled the closest to a real smile the women had yet to see, "Briber!"

"Did it work?"

"Yeah, it worked." Tasha turned to the two women watching the exchange, "Ladies – why don't we have a seat and you can ask me your questions"

"That'd be great," JJ just nodded along with the other agent.

Tasha led the women through the house slowly, "The den should be plenty comfortable," turning to look at Sam, Tasha let a slightly wicked smile cross her face for an instant, "Sammy dear, could you go to the kitchen and get us some drinks and snacks? If we're going to have to discuss such sadness, we might as well be comfortable doing so.'

"Sure Tash, do you mind if I pop out back and see the girls while I'm on that end of the house?"

"Go ahead, and take your time. They've missed you, and we'll still be here when you get back."

Sam grinned and practically darted out of the room.

All three of the remaining women watched Sam depart with a grin, though the gaze of the two FBI agents lingered a bit longer.

JJ turned to Tasha, "The girls? You have children?"

Tasha burst out laughing, "Heavens no. I apologize for my outburst Agent Jareau; children just aren't in the plan for me. The girls are my two golden retrievers, Sax and Ang. They love Sam and think she belongs to them. And I'm pretty sure she thinks the same thing about them."

Tasha gestured for her guests to get comfortable on the couch in her den. She walked to a bookshelf across the room and snagged a copy of _A Midsummer Night's Dream_ and passed it to Emily.

Emily looked up, slightly puzzled – but leafed through the pages anyway. Pulling out a set of photos she looked up at Tasha.

"Sammy doesn't know I still have those," she smiled as JJ and Emily looked at the images, "those were taken when she and I were living together."

JJ stopped and smiled at one photo in particular, Sam was kneeling on the ground on a bright summer morning with two squirming Golden Retrievers curled up against her. She looked as if she'd just been for a run in her shorts and sports bra, but still came home to play with the puppies. She wore the most brilliant smile on her face.

Tasha looked at the photo and the other women sadly, "She never smiles like that anymore."

Flipping through the photos Emily stopped at one of Tasha and Sam sitting together on a blanket looking at each other as if their eyes were destined to meet, and smiling.

Tasha just shrugged, and the women flipped through the rest of the pictures, the last one bringing them to a standstill. It was a picture from a Halloween costume party. Sam stood in the middle of a trio, she was playing Han Solo to a tee. On her left, Tasha – as the ever delicious Princess Leia, gold bikini and all. Rounding out the group on Sam's right was a tall gangly man with a handsome face and caring eyes. Eyes that nearly matched Tasha's perfectly. He was quite obviously Luke Skywalker.

Tasha smiled fondly, but with a sense of sadness. "That's Mike. They've both always been incredible Star Wars nerds. So really our costumes shouldn't be any surprise. But I'll tell you, that bikini wasn't as warm as it looks."

JJ smiled warmly, "Thank you for sharing this with us Miss Kent. I realize that this is difficult for you, but we need to ask you some questions."

"Oh dear, please call me Tasha. Miss Kent makes me feel old. And really, shouldn't we wait for Sammy? I'd really be more comfortable with her here."

Emily nodded, "Of course Miss… Tasha."

Tasha smiled to herself, "Good, now that that's settled. How long have you two lovely agents been together?"

Emily very nearly fell out of her seat, "I…we…we're not…. She's not…"

A blushing, but slightly more composed JJ came to Emily's rescue, "What my currently less than eloquent friend is trying to say, is that we're not together."

"Oh dear, I'm sorry. I just assumed. I mean the two of you seem to gravitate towards each other. The way you carry on a conversation, I was wrong to have assumed. Again I apologize."

JJ smiled warmly at Tasha, reaching out to pat the still sputtering Emily on the back. "Sam did warn us about you."

"I'm honored I deserve a warning."

Emily looked up, hearing the gentle tinkling of JJ's laughter. She couldn't help the smile that brightened her face. Emily turned her attention back to Tasha, noticing the sudden look of concern crossing her face.

"Agent Prentiss, would you do me a favor? Go check on Sam please? Just down the hall and to the left…"

Emily nodded, "I'll be right back ladies."

JJ watched Emily's form as she left the room, biting her lip at the less than professional thoughts entering her mind. JJ couldn't help thinking about the way Emily walked, the way her hips moved. The way she smiled, how her eyes lit up when she realized something important about a case, her little looks of concentration when she was puzzled. JJ grinned to herself, thinking of the way Emily made her smile, of the casual touches and caresses that warmed her skin and her thoughts.

"Agent Jareau? Agent Jareau! JJ!"

JJ jerked out of her thoughts, "I'm sorry Tasha. Were you saying something?"

"Emily has a nice ass doesn't she?"

JJ grinned, "Oh yes... I'm sorry, what?" JJ mentally cursed herself for allowing her thoughts to run away and get the best of her.

"It's okay JJ, I won't say anything."

JJ dropped her head into her hands.

"I know you don't know me very well. And I know that I'm part of your investigation and everything. But please know that I'm a more than willing listener, especially when it comes to matters of the heart."

JJ smiled at the offer, contemplating her thoughts, her feelings, finally giving in to the need to voice the ideas running through her mind, "She throws me off balance. She's beautiful and gentle and completely dedicated. But she's sweet and caring, and she always knows what to say when I need cheered up. The thing is, I've never thought about a woman like I do Emily. And I feel like I should be terrified by the thought, but really, it only calms me down. She soothes me."

Tasha smiled as the blonde rambled, months of pent up emotions and thoughts pouring from her mouth. Though the next words out of JJ's mouth almost sent Tasha to floor.

"And then Sam walked into the department and it shook everything up. I've spent the day with her, hearing her ideas, her thoughts on the cases, and in between all this business there are these little snippets that are undeniably her and it floors me. I mean physically… there's this almost visceral reaction that makes me drool and lose my balance all at the same time. Mentally my head is going nuts, I mean, there was Emily, and I was okay, but now there's Emily and there's Sam. I just wish I co-" JJ finally let her mind catch up with the words that were spilling out of her mouth and hints of red tinted her tanned skin.

In another room across the house, Emily found Sam leaning against the kitchen counter, her eyes closed and her fists clenched, obviously fighting the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. It was enough to break Emily's heart. After hearing Sam talk her way through the cases, describing the murder of a friend, of people she knew, it was hard to imagine Sam breaking down. But Emily watched the tears trail down the soft skin of the detective's cheek and knew, in that instant, that she would do whatever possible to keep those tears from falling again. She was across the room in less than a second, pulling the blonde into her arms. A move, that had she thought about it, would never have seemed appropriate with a detective on any other case, or in any other town, but here, the village was different, and Sam… Sam was more than anyone understood or expected.

Emily whispered softly to Sam, soothing her, offering support and comfort. She smiled to herself when she felt Sam's arms tighten around her, feeling the hands of the shorter detective resting on the small of her back. Without a thought, without a conscious idea, Emily dropped a feather light kiss to Sam's forehead. When the blonde looked up at Emily, the brunette just smiled softly and cupped her face in her hands, wiping away the tears with her thumbs, stroking the skin there softly.

"I'm sorry," it was whispered, barely there, and Emily had to strain to hear the words, though Sam's mouth was close.

"Why?"

"For breaking down like this… it's unprofessional and I'm stronger than this, really I am."

Emily just pulled the other woman closer, leaning down to whisper to her, "You don't have to be strong all the time Sam. You've lost a lot and you're still here. Still doing your job. You're allowed to feel. You're allowed to be human."

A ghost of a smile made it's way across Sam's lips, resting her head against Emily she just relaxed into the embrace, allowing the months of pressure and emotion to fade, if only for a moment.

It was an unconscious movement when faces turned towards each other. Eyes locked together, for a moment it seemed as if all the fairy tales were right, and in one glance the two women could read each others thoughts, could read all the way down to their very souls. In the next moment time seemed to freeze, neither woman could tell you who moved, who closed that final gap, but their lips found each other and the kiss, soft, sweet and gentle seemed to expand into eternity.

Sam pulled away first, already on the verge of a rapid string of apologies.

Emily smiled at the sudden nervous verbal explosion of the other woman. "Sam, shh, it's okay. I'm not complaining." Emily watched as Sam came to a standstill, her mouth stuck wide open as she processed what Emily was saying.

"Emily… we should talk about this."

"We should. But right now, we've got to work."

"Oh god. We're supposed to be working." It was if a light had gone on in Sam's head and she realized just how far off task they'd gotten that day.

Emily bit her lip, amused by the quirks of her companion.

"Emily… why don't you have dinner with me tonight? We could talk."

The profiler smiled, "I'd like that. But I think JJ should come too," Emily paused, stretching time thin as she tried to formulate her words to the best form, "there are things that need to be said. And I don't think it's just between you and I.'

Sam nodded, finally moving to remove herself from Emily's embrace. "I don't want to come between anything Emily…"

"I know. We'll talk tonight okay? But right now, you and I should get back to Tasha and JJ, before who knows what happens with those two."

Sam agreed and turned to the sink, splashing some water on her face, trying to hide the fact that she'd been crying not ten minutes before. Emily watched Sam for a moment, before moving around the room to gather the beverage and snacks Tasha had originally requested. It was another five minutes before they finally made it back to the den.

When Emily stuck her head in through the door she was more than surprised to find Tasha and JJ curled up at either end of the couch, conversing like old friends reunited after an eternity apart.

Sam smiled at the two women who were thoroughly consumed in their conversation. Standing in the doorway with Emily, just watching the two interact Sam was struck by the beauty that was the press liaison and the gentleness she seemed to exude. But the beauty that was JJ was amplified when she looked up from her conversation with Tasha and spotted Emily and Sam standing there. A smile burst onto JJ's face that could have outshone the sun and powered the earth for millennia.

"Wow…" it was soft and barely vocalized, but Emily heard it and looked at Sam in surprise. It was only then that Sam realized that her private musings had quite quickly become public.

Emily nodded at the blonde standing next to her, "I know… me too."

Tasha glanced up at her friend, in the midst of a whispered conversation with Emily, and smiled to herself. Perhaps there was hope for her Sammy yet. Unfortunately, she knew the day was quickly escaping and there was still a conversation the four of them needed to have.

"Sammy…."

Sam pulled her attention away from Emily and looked at her friend. She could see the pain and fear written in her friends eyes, she nodded, knowing she had to stop being the detective and start being the friend Tasha needed.

"Emily, JJ – we should get started. And… if it's okay with the two of you, I'm going to let you ask the questions. I can't be a cop for this conversation."

Catching Emily's eyes, Sam knew the profiler understood. Looking over at JJ, Sam caught the nod and smile. Sam let out a sigh of relief before removing her gun and her badge from her belt. She set them on the table and symbolically laid down her authority.

It was that action that showed both Emily and JJ just how unique Sam was. Over the years the pair had met and known hundreds of law enforcement officials, all of whom firmly believed that the best way to protect the ones they loved was by picking up their gun and their badge. Sam believed and proved that it was just as possible to protect loved ones by laying down the gun and the badge.

JJ and Emily moved to sit on the ottoman, directly in front of Tasha. The space was cramped, but neither woman complained. Sam sat down next to Tasha, taking her friends hand and entwining their fingers, offering her support.

"Tasha," Emily started, "did Mike have any enemies? Anyone that might want to hurt him?"

"No one, not that I can think of. He always got along really well with everyone. Although…" Tasha glanced over at Sam, a look of uncertainty on her face. JJ looked up at Sam, her curiosity evident on her face.

"About a year and a half ago my college girlfriend came to town, she was looking for me," a look of pain and disgust crossed over Sam's face, Emily caught the look before Sam managed to hide it, "she had some issues and came looking for trouble. Mike, Tasha and I were at a bar when she found us. She made a scene and the three of us left … my ex followed and threw a beer bottle," Sam reached up, subconsciously rubbing the back of her head.

"Damn bitch hit Sammy in the back of her head, she was bleeding everywhere. Ended up needing 25 stitches," Tasha looked at Sam, "Sammy I never did figure out what you saw in her in the first place."

Sam smiled at her friends interruption, "Anyway, after I went down she jumped on me and started wailing. Mike pulled her off of me, but she wouldn't stop. She kept coming back at me. He finally had to flat out punch her just to get her to stop. He knocked her out cold."

Tasha burst out laughing, "Her face, just before his fist connected, was priceless."

"Someone from the bar saw what happened and called the cops… well the other ones anyway. When my ex regained consciousness she decided to press charges against Mike. Apparently she forgot she'd been the one wailing on the detective."

Tasha burst in again, "When they reminded her of that she turned this shade of white and damn near passed out. Sammy suggested they forget the whole thing happened and everyone just go their separate ways."

Sam nodded, "James had shown up by that time as well," Sam turned to Emily and JJ, "James Hennessy is the Yellow Springs Mayor. He suggested my ex leave town and seriously consider not returning. We've not seen hide or hair of her since."

A million and one questions flooded through JJ's mind, but none of them were appropriate for the situation. She resolved to ask them – later – when she knew Sam wouldn't hide the truth.

Emily thought for a few moments, processing the new information, "Does your ex spend much time on a computer?"

Sam shook her head, "Not a chance. She hates most technology. She doesn't carry a cell phone or know how to use a computer. In college she wrote all her papers on a typewriter."

Emily nodded, "Was there anyone else?" The questions were turned back to Tasha, "Anything about your brother we should know? Any memberships, political affiliations?"

Tasha looked up, obviously startled, "I don't see what that has to do with this."

The change in Tasha's tone caught JJ and Emily by surprise, but Sam took it in stride, squeezing her friends hand gently, "They aren't saying anything bad about Mike, Tasha. We… they're just trying to make connections, find some way Mike might be linked to the others. It's okay, you trust me, you can trust Emily and JJ."

Tasha frowned but nodded, "Mike wasn't the most liberal man in the world. He was accepting of everyone, don't get me wrong. But politically, he tended to be more conservative. He was a member of the Republican party, which didn't always sit well with some people," Tasha shot a look at Sam, "Other than that he was a dedicated volunteer at a homeless shelter in Dayton, whenever he could he'd go over to help serve meals, and just talk to people. He helped out with students at Yellow Springs High School, tutoring and offering homework help. He didn't go to church, he felt organized religion was used to condemn individuals and incite violence and war."

JJ looked up, following a line of thought, "Did he fit in well in the community?"

Tasha nodded, "Yeah, I mean sometimes people thought his politics were a little too conservative, but he fit in well, and people forgave him for what they thought were his failings. He was loved by most people, hell, the owner of the comic shop often said that the only reason the shop was so popular was because people liked coming in to talk to Mike."

Emily and JJ took turns, continuing to ask questions, searching for deeper connections between Mike and the other victims.

Finally, Emily looked at JJ, and a moment of silent communication seemed to pass between the two. JJ continued, "Tasha – I think that's going to help us a great deal. We really appreciate you talking with us."

Tasha nodded, "Anything I can do to help."

Emily's phone began to ring and she apologized before stepping out of the room to answer it. While Emily was out of the room JJ watched in amusement as Tasha and Sam devolved into an argument about the ex girlfriend and why she had been a good choice at the time. JJ was more than a little amused, but it only served to raise more questions in her mind. Moments later Emily came back through the door, watching the bickering friends for a moment before forcing herself to interrupt the moment.

"Ladies, that was Hotch, the others have all finished their interviews and examinations of the scenes. Apparently we're a little slow today. But the Chief told them we might take a while, but it's about time we head back to the station and see what we have."

JJ began to rise, followed by Sam and Tasha. Emily and JJ shook hands with Tasha and began walking towards the door, Tasha and Sam hugged tightly. Sam looked up, watching as Emily and JJ walked out the door of the den, enjoying the view as she grabbed her badge and gun, putting them back on her belt.

At the front door JJ and Emily again thanked Tasha for her help. JJ surprised herself by giving Tasha a quick hug and a whispered "thank you." Sam hugged her friend tightly and gave her a quick peck on the cheek, "I'll call if there's anything else." Her friend nodded and hugged Sam again tightly.

Emily was the last one out the door and as she went to leave, Tasha pushed the photo of the smiling Sam into Emily's hand. In response to the questioning look, she could only say, "hold on to it. Hold on to her. To both of them. I know you doubt what I'm saying, but trust me. You've got two beautiful blonde women who are ready to give their hearts to you. You've just got to let them in and accept it. And trust them with yours."

Seeing the look of surprise," I'm full of secrets Emily Prentiss, and I'm well gifted in reading others. Look in your own heart."

* * *

X.

An hour later the BAU team, Sam included, was seated around the conference table where they'd begun their day. A fresh batch of coffee had been made and Sam had cracked open another Mountain Dew.

Hotch started, "We found a connection between the four students murdered yesterday. It's sort of vague and it took some serious digging with the parents. The four children were the oldest in their families, but they weren't the first pregnancies. Each of the mothers had, at some point, aborted another child. The four that were murdered were the first ones they'd kept."

Morgan stepped in, "Since their experiences with the idea of abortion, the four mothers have all become large pro-life supporters. While we can link those four and as a result their families together, we can't find a single link between them and the other victims."

Reid looked up, "At the elementary school the students were placed directly in front of the principal's window. It's possible that this attack was directed at her?"

"These murders are designed to present messages," Gideon paused for a moment in his thoughts, "maybe we should look at who the messages were meant for?"

Hotchner frowned, his lips tilted slightly further down than normal, "If the bodies were meant to be messages to different individuals, why be left someplace so public? Why not leave them on a door step or a front lawn? No, these weren't for one specific person."

Emily looked up from the files she was perusing, "What about the black outs? Have we heard back from Garcia yet?"

Morgan just shook his head.

JJ stood, facing a white board, reading to make notes, but the jumbled ideas and lack of evidence was leaving her list empty. She turned to look at the team and noticed Sam scanning pages rapidly, almost as if she'd been bitten.

"Sam?"

Sam looked up, catching JJ's eyes… "You all said Garcia was a goddess right?"

Morgan looked up, intrigued, "She can work miracles."

Sam pulled a photo out of one of the case files, from the murders at the college, pointing to one of the video cameras on the corner of the building, "think she can get access to those cameras?"

Reid looked puzzled, which for him was unusual, "With the power outages and no generators, and no lights in the parking lot, the cameras wouldn't have caught anything… would they?"

Sam smiled, "Normally no. But we're not looking for the murders. We know that the deaths can take an exceptional long time to implement right? I mean he only had three hours with Kent, but look at the damage that was done? This guy has to be using every second of his time wisely."

Morgan nodded, "Right, it only makes sense. But what if the blackouts are timed to give him time to escape?"

"But look at these images," Emily pointed to a few of the photos hanging on the walls and boards, "look at the detail put into positioning, into displaying the bodies. This is a man that wants to see the final product. He'd wait for the lights to come back on so he could see his victims."

Hotch looked at the photos, eyeing again every detail, "He'd have to have a light source with him. He wouldn't be able to position these victims without being able to see."

"I agree. But," Gideon paused a moment, "it couldn't be a large light source. Too much light in the middle of such a localized black out would be noticed, too many questions would be asked. He'd have to wait until the power came back on to be able to truly see his victims.'

Sam nodded, glancing up at JJ for a moment, needing to find something in the eyes of the other blonde, she wasn't sure what she was looking for, but she found it. "So, if the Unsub was still on the premises when the lights came back on. And I'm guessing he'd want to be close by, he'd want to be able to see the details. Then it's possible that he's there in the very beginning of the tape, right when it starts back up."

Without a word Morgan reached for his phone, "Baby girl we need a favor…"

An hour later the team was sitting around the table, staring at the figure of their Unsub. The image was blurry, the cameras had been recalibrating after the return to power up. The image was indistinct and the Unsub was dressed completely in black. Their back was to the camera and the car, a black SUV carried no license plates. There was only a split second when the face was on camera, but it was too indistinguishable to recognize. As Derrick would say, they were hoping Garcia could work a little magic.

* * *

Reviews get cookies.


	3. Parts XI through XII

**A/N:** Just a reminder, I'm working without a beta, and I'm sure I've made some mistakes, but I'm trying to get them fixed, promise.

**jm-oc-ja:** glad you're enjoying it. I've got sugar cookies, hope you enjoy them. =D

**heatwave16:** thanks! And I know, Emily/JJ in general just makes me happy.

**Whiro:** I'm glad you're enjoying it! And I'm working on getting more ready to publish.

I will say that Sam was almost completely unexpected when I was writing this. She sort of took more control of the story then I expected. But I like the role she's taken, so we're going with it. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy.

Since cookies aren't the best sort of bribery, apparently, I'll have to come up with something better, in the meantime, reviews are awesome!

**Disclaimer:** They aren't mine. But I wouldn't mind finding them beneath my Christmas tree. **  
**

* * *

XI.

Eight P.M. rolled around for the members of the BAU with no further word from Garcia. Instead they had a thousand theories and no answers. Sam, as unfamiliar with the team as she was, could easily see the frustration and exhaustion setting in. She knew there was no way they'd get any more work done that night, the trick was to convince the others of that, and she didn't think faking yawns or falling asleep at the conference table would work.

Hearing her own stomach rumble Sam sighed and gave in to her need for food. Looking around the room she caught JJ's eye and smiled tiredly. JJ looked at the other blonde with concern but Sam just shook her head before exiting the room. Emily looked up from the file in front of her and locked eyes with JJ. Without a word they both rose and went after the blonde detective.

They found Sam sitting on the floor next to a vending machine, eyes closed with her head tilted back against the wall, an opened Snickers in her hand with one bite missing. JJ slid down the wall next to Sam, sitting down and reaching out a hand tentatively to brush a stray hair off the detective's cheek. Startled by the touch Sam nearly leapt to her feet, bumping into the standing Emily and knocking her to the floor.

Emily hit the ground with a thud and looked up quizzically at the youngest of the three. "Sam? You alright?"

"Jesus Em, I'm sorry." Emily smiled inwardly at the use of the shortened version of her name, relishing the warm tingles it gave her. "It's okay, I'm fine. Just a little closer to the ground then I was before."

Sam sighed loudly, running her fingers through her hair. She tried to shake herself awake, "I'm sorry, I really am. I just wanted a few minutes rest, I didn't mean to fall asleep."

JJ frowned at the exasperation in Sam's voice and reached a hand out to her, she smiled when Sam almost unconsciously took her hand. JJ pulled Sam down to sit on the floor next to her. "It's okay, Emily and I are going to sit right here with you. Just close your eyes for a few minutes okay? We'll be right here."

Sam looked up at Emily, who just nodded back, before sliding down the wall and sitting on the other side of the detective. Sam closed her eyes and leaned into JJ, resting her head on the blonde woman's shoulder. JJ smiled up at Emily and slipped her arm around Sam's waist, holding her close and humming softly, trying to offer a source of support and comfort. Emily smiled a the picture the two made before taking one of Sam's hands in her own, caressing the back of her hand with a thumb lightly.

They sat like that for a long while, before Reid, in search of some form of sustenance found the three of them against the wall, holding each other and asleep. Morgan, who had been right behind Reid smiled at the sight of them. Stepping up next to Reid, Morgan smiled and patted him on the shoulder, "Maybe it is time we call it a night." Reid just nodded, finding a sense of comfort in having his friends nearby.

Sam cracked open her eyes and looked up at the two men. After a brief request she found out that two hours had passed since she'd first left the conference room, and that the men were planning on heading back to the B&B. Morgan looked down at the pile of women on the floor and smiled, hoping that for once, some happiness could be found among all the despair. "Stewart?" Sam looked up at Morgan, "Can you make sure these two get back to the B&B, or at least get some rest somewhere tonight?" Sam looked puzzled for a moment; she didn't know what was more confusing at the moment, her position between the two women, or Morgan and Reid's seemingly easy and willing acceptance of the situation. Either way, she wasn't looking a gift horse in the mouth, she nodded back at Morgan and watched the two men walk away, before turning to look at each of the other women for a few moments.

A stray strand of hair had fallen across Emily's cheek and JJ was turning into a deformed pretzel with the way she was sleeping. Sam brushed her fingers across Emily's cheek, rousing her from her slumber slowly. Dark eyes opened, blinking sleepily until locking upon Sam. Without a second though Sam leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to Emily's forehead. "Come on Princess, it's time to wake Sleeping Beauty," Sam just nodded towards JJ.

When Sam tried to nudge JJ awake, JJ only mumbled softly in her sleep and snuggled closer, ending up with her head in Sam's lap. Emily looked down at the sleeping blonde and then back up at the detective next to her and just smiled, reaching a hand down to stroke JJ's cheek gently. Sam watched the interaction between them silently, finding peace in the yet undefined connection that existed between the three women.

Sam looked up at Emily and smiled, the traces of an idea lighting up her eyes. Emily watched as Sam leant over and whispered something in JJ's ear. A half second later JJ was on her feet, alert and looking around frantically, "No more coffee?"

Sam and Emily looked at each other before they burst out in laughter, dragging themselves to their feet.

"I'm sorry JJ…but you needed to wake up."

JJ couldn't help the pout that crossed her features, but it faded when Emily wrapped her arms around her for a gentle hug.

"The guys have left already, Morgan and Reid were down here earlier looking for the two of you. Morgan asked if I'd make sure you guys got back to the B&B, or something for the night. I said I'd take care of you. And I was thinking, I know we're all tired, but," Sam paused, her nervousness apparent as she rushed into the rest of what she was attempting to say. "maybe you'd like some dinner first? I'm really not a bad cook and I've got everything needed to put together a quick meal and then I promise to get you back to your team. I mean if you really wanted to you could stay at my house tonight, I have room and I wouldn't mind the company, and who knows maybe we'll break the case over dinner, or breakfast or something...," JJ and Emily just stood in silence for a moment. The Sam they had met and gotten to know so far that day always seemed confident and, aside from a moment or two, always in control. This babbling Sam was a different entity, but a rather adorable one at the same time.

"Sam," the blonde looked up at Emily's interruption of her babble mode, "we'd love dinner."

"Really?"

JJ smiled, "Really… and you know, you're pretty cute when you get all rambly like that." Emily just laughed at the red tint that quickly took over Sam's face.

Less than ten minutes later the three women had gathered their bags and anything else they needed for the night before making their way to Sam's jeep. It was ten minutes after that that the jeep pulled down the long drive at Sam's home. As the headlights caught the house and illuminated the yard, Emily and JJ took in the sight of the simple, weathered farmhouse. Sam parked in front of the house, ignoring the garage in the nice weather, and grabbed her guests bags before leading them to the house.

"Please forgive the minor bits of mess, I wasn't originally planning on having company tonight." Sam smiled at the other women before unlocking the door and stopping inside to key in her security code.

Emily and JJ stepped into the house, eyeing the simple décor and the well broken in furniture, that still managed to fit the feel of the house, despite the years of use. The majority of the first floor was a wide open area that flowed almost imperceptibly into different areas. Emily looked around, noting the combination of living and work space that made up the majority of the floor. JJ noticed different details, the framed photographs that hung beside the fireplace and the artwork that decorated the rest of the walls.

"I'm sure the two of you are beat, but would you like something to drink? A shower? A chance to relax or anything while I make a quick something to eat?"

Emily couldn't help the groan that rose from her throat, "A shower would be divine."

Sam happily led Emily up a set of stairs and to a restroom upstairs, complete with a full shower and claw foot tub. Stopping at the door the two women smiled at each other, "Take your time, it'll be a little bit on dinner."

Emily smiled at the shorter woman, before leaning down to catch the detectives lips in a quick but soothing kiss. "Ok." Emily smiled and entered the bathroom, shutting the door back again before Sam even had a chance to regain coherency.

Sam made her way back down the stairs, her mind replaying the feel of Emily's lips on hers, over and over. JJ looked up from the photos she was examining when she heard Sam's feet on the stairs. A flash of concern crossed her face and JJ made her way quickly across the room, "Sam? You okay?" Sam nodded as JJ stretched out a hand, brushing her fingers over Sam's cheek before resting on her shoulder.

Sam smiled at the contact, finally raising her eyes to meet JJ's. JJ's hand shifted and her thumb was left lightly stroking Sam's collarbone. Same relished in the feeling and in the close contact with the other blonde. JJ herself was mesmerized by the softness of the skin beneath her touch and the increasing beat beneath her fingers.

Sam sank her teeth into her bottom lip, catching JJ's hand in her own as she stepped back, "You wanna grab a shower while I fix dinner?" Sam hated to pull away from JJ – and thinking about her in the shower only made it worse, especially when she knew Emily was already in one shower.

JJ squeezed Sam's hand softly, "A shower would be nice." Really a shower was the last thing on JJ's mind, but she knew, as did Emily and Sam that distance was necessary if the trio were going to make it through dinner and have the conversation that had become so necessary to the continued development of whatever was between them.

* * *

XII.

Sam had encouraged the two women to take their time in their respective showers, and knowing that they had had a long and stressful couple of weeks, she wagered she had at least half an hour before they began making appearances back downstairs.

Ten minutes later, Sam had rushed through a shower and back down to the kitchen, eternally grateful for the remodels she'd done on her home and the additional bathrooms that had come with the work. It was another forty minutes before Emily made her way back down to the main floor, her heart warmed at the sight of Sam standing barefoot in the kitchen wearing a pair of loose flowing gray pajama pants and a white tank top, her hair, still wet from the shower, was pulled back in a pony tail. Emily just stood at the foot of the steps watching Sam as she made dinner. Emily nearly jumped out of her skin when JJ came down the stairs and rested her hand on Emily's shoulder. Together the two stood and watched the oblivious detective as she tossed together a salad while singing along quietly to the soft tones of Sinatra.

Sam looked up from her preparations to spot the two agents watching her. Blushing profusely she still took the time to eye the other two women appreciatively. Emily in her red tank top and black pajama pants, and JJ in her soccer tee shirt and red shorts. Sam's eyes lit up as JJ and Emily walked over to her, leaning against the kitchen counter side by side.

"Is there anything you need us to do?" JJ smiled, charmingly at the other blonde.

Sam pulled a corkscrew and a lighter out of a drawer, "If one of you would open the wine? And maybe light some of the candles?"

Emily took the offered corkscrew and JJ the lighter. Sam smiled fondly as the two women made themselves comfortable in her kitchen and in her heart. Sam served the salad and the fettuccini alfredo and carried the plates to the table. With the meal served the three women settled down to dine together. There were content and comfortable in silence as they ate. Finishing the meal they cleaned up in silence before moving into the living area.

Emily stretched out on the worn couch, propping her head up on one hand so she could see the others. JJ settled into one of the arm chairs, swinging her legs up and over the arm. Sam crouched in front of the fireplace, lighting a fire. Emily and JJ exchanged a look and smiled at the hint of tattoo that was revealed when Sam's tank top rode up. Content with the beginnings of the fire, Sam moved to sink into the other arm chair before catching a mischievous look between the other two women.

"What?" Sam couldn't help but question her guests.

JJ looked over at Sam innocently, "Was that a tattoo we spotted?"

Sam smiled at the obviously curious women, "It was… one of them anyway." Emily and JJ visibly perked up at the mention of more ink on the young detective. "But that's probably information best served for later. I guess there are other things we need to discuss-" Emily noticed the edges of fear sneaking into Sam's voice and her heart ached to chase the fear and worries away, but she knew the best way to do that was to actually carry through with the conversation they needed to have.

"Here's the thing," Sam began, out of her chair in a flash, pacing back in forth in front of the fire, obviously hesitant to look at either of the other women, "I don't know you. I mean – we just met this morning. I was expecting these big bad FBI agents, and the first faces I saw were yours. And really, all I could think was that here were two of the most beautiful women I'd ever seen. And then we started talking – and it was like there was this click in my heart that said I needed you … both of you. And I started watching you – and the way you are together and I thought I had no chance." Sam stopped pacing and looked at JJ and Emily, finding their eyes and trying to convey what she had felt building all day, "And then Emily kissed me."

"Wait, wait a second," JJ looked between Emily and Sam, "You kissed her?" JJ's face had turned to Emily, who simply nodded, "Twice."

Sam smiled softly, "Jealous JJ?"

"Of course I am," turning to Emily, "You-, I've been wanting to kiss you since the day we met. There you were striding into the BAU like you knew it was exactly where you were meant to be. You swaggered in all tall, dark and dangerous and I swooned. Literally. Every day since I've been wondering what your lips would feel like, how you would feel against me."

Emily's mind finally caught up to what JJ was saying, "You swooned?"

JJ nodded, "I was in my office talking to Penelope when you first walked through the doors – and I saw you, and I swooned." JJ shrugged, trying to hide her blush.

Emily smiled at JJ, "I felt the same way you know? Hell JJ, you've been filling my dreams for months. Even on the worst cases a smile from you makes it all go away. Having you around even makes my mother more tolerable." Emily paused, her eyes locked on the liaison's, rising from the couch she made her way to JJ, sinking to her knees in front of the chair, she reached a hand up to brush a strand of hair off JJ's face.

"Em-" JJ's voice nearly cracked, breaking the silence that was building between them.

Whispered, softly, barely audible in the air. "Yes Jayje?"

"Kiss me."

Emily leaned forward, brushing her lips ever so lightly against JJ's, allowing her fingers to freely roam over JJ's face, through her hair, and lightly across her neck. JJ let out a soft whimper before delving into the kiss, pulling the brunette closer to her. In the midst of their embrace, neither woman noticed the pained look on the departing detective's face.

Minutes or hours later, neither knew for sure, Emily and JJ pulled apart, slightly out of breathe and smiling. Emily was the first to notice Sam was no longer in the room, just then they heard the sounds of the Jeep starting outside. Looking at each other, Emily crossed the room, looking out the window to see the Jeep was no longer parked in front of the house, turning to look at JJ, Emily shook her head, sighing softly. Together the two agents sat on the couch, pressed close, fingers entwined, and waiting for the blonde detective to return.

JJ looked down at their interlocked fingers and then back up at Emily, "Why didn't you tell me? That you felt that way about me?"

"Honestly? I never thought I'd have a chance of you feeling the same. And there were the trust issues when I joined the team. And then we started building this friendship, and I didn't want to risk losing you as a friend and a potential something more. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Some of the same reasons I guess. And really, I was scared. I'd never felt this way about another woman before. And I'm sure that sounds, in some way cliché, but I never thought I could, and then … you made me swoon. So mostly I was working through it, not chasing it away, but accepting that it was okay for me to feel this way."

Emily leaned over and kissed JJ again, quickly and softly. "I'm glad we finally figured this out."

"You should thank Tasha, she helped me see some things today. And Sam – she reminded me so much of you when she came swaggering into the department this morning…" JJ looked up, a frown crossing her face, "Any idea's on where or why she ran?'

"I don't know Jayje, I really don't know. I'm not going to profile her, I won't cross that line."

"What should we do?"

"We'll wait. She has to come back eventually. And we are in her house."

JJ nodded at Emily and leaned against the taller woman. Wrapped up together, fingers still entwined they waited for the return of their missing piece.


	4. Parts XIII through XV

**A/N:** Wasn't planning on posting this for another couple of days, but was in a pretty good mood today so figured I'd go ahead and share. This was only goint to be part XIII, but I thought I'd add the two parts after it since I'm in such a good mood. =D It'll probably be a few days before the next chapter comes out, but I promise I'm working on it. Got a decent amount written last night and hopefully I'll get more done tonight. Enjoy!

**AgentNote: **I'm glad you like cookies! I'll keep them around. And normally I'm not one for OC's either, but I am a bit partial to Sam.

**Whiro:** Glad you've stuck around! Thanks!

**jm-oc-ja:** I do have to leave you with the occasional cliffhanger, how else am I gonna get you to come back =D. I'll try not to be that mean again.

**thegirlwhoflew:** No worries, Sam isn't going to be forgotten, I'm a little too partial to her character to do that.

**dearlydemented1993:** I've only seen a few other three ways with JJ/Emily, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. =D

**Willow008:** Thanks, and you're welcome! I'm glad you're enjoying the story!

**guitarrchick:** Thanks for the support! The sad thing is that I'm horribly guilty of not reviewing when I should.

**Disclaimer:** they still don't belong to me. I keep wishing though.

* * *

XIII.

It was several hours later before Sam returned to the house. Walking in she found JJ and Emily curled up together on the couch, deep in sleep. Trying to be quiet the detective made her way to the kitchen, digging the first aid kid out from under her sink.

JJ was brought out of her sleep by the sound of muffled curses and a slight groan of pain. Slipping out of Emily's protective grasp, she padded quietly across the room to Sam. In the dim lighting JJ could see blood dripping from Sam's left hand. Without thinking JJ grabbed a towel off the counter and pressed it to the gashes crossing Sam's hand.

"Emily..." JJ called across the room, repeating the call a second and a third time before the brunette pulled out of her slumber and sat up.

"JJ? What's going?" Emily brushed a few stray hairs out of her face as she crossed the room.

"It's nothing Emily, JJ's just over reacting."

"No, I'm not. You're bleeding all over the place."

"It's just a superficial cut."

Emily turned on the rest of the lights in the kitchen, illuminating a series of deep gashes across Sam's knuckles, palm and the back of her hand, they crossed her skin up past her wrist, stretching almost to her elbow. The brunette muttered under her breath as she reached for the first aid kit. "Sam you're going to be lucky if you don't need stitches."

Sam tried to pull her hand away, insisting she was fine. It took JJ looking up at her with a deep look of concern etched across her features before Sam would agree to let them take care of her wounds. Twenty minutes later with her wounds bandaged and her hand and arm bound up to keep them from opening further, Sam was sitting at the counter of her kitchen, nursing a glass of water under the watchful eyes of her two nurses.

Emily sighed, reaching a hand out to rest softly on Sam's good arm, "What happened Sam? And why'd you run?"

Sam shrugged, "I was out in the barn. I wanted to park the jeep before the storm hit. It's supposed to storm pretty badly tonight. I did some work in my office, worked out a bit in the gym, put my hand through a window. Nothing serious."

JJ balked at the idea of Sam putting her hand through a window, but still wanted to know why she'd run. "That only answers one of the questions…" JJ crossed to the other side of the counter and sat down on a stool next to Sam, looking up at her with questioning eyes.

"I thought you two could use some time alone, I didn't want to be in the way." Sam shrugged again, looking down at the counter and tracing imaginary designs on the surface.

JJ and Emily shared a glance across the counter. "Sam…. look at me." The detective looked up hesitantly, meeting Emily's eyes. "You wouldn't be in the way. We wanted you with us." JJ nodded, "Sure this is confusing, but we talked while you were gone. And Emily and I … we don't know what this is, and we don't know where it's going, but we do know one thing." Sam focused her eyes on JJ's, listening to what she was saying, "We want you with us, in whatever this thing is." Emily was listening to JJ as well, but was focused on the face of the other blonde, catching the moment a flicker of hope crossed her face, only to be hidden again.

Reaching out, Emily cupped Sam's face in her hand gently, "I saw you this morning Sam, and I wanted you. But it was more than just want, more than just lust, I wanted to know what made you tick. Because here you were, this swaggering but light hearted detective who had seen hell repeatedly in the past 6 months, but still managed to smile and crack jokes. You didn't hide who you are, you didn't hide your sexuality, you were just there, you were just yourself. I saw you in pain, talking to Tasha, talking about Mike, you tried so hard to hide how you felt about it, but I saw it, and I found myself wanting to reach out and take that pain away. And I know we've only known each other a day, but there's something in you, that stretches out to something in me."

Sam bit her lip, "But what about the two of you?" She looked between Emily and JJ, still apprehensive.

JJ took Sam's uninjured hand in her own and squeezed gently, "What's been building between Emily and I has been building for a while. But the thing is, when I saw you today, you made me swoon. And there's only two people who have ever done that to me. And they're both in this room. Between the two of you I feel as if my heart has been set on fire. I want to feel you beneath my fingers, and hear you in my dreams. But it's more than that. I want to know what makes you smile, I want to know what makes you strong, what makes you weak. I want to know what makes you laugh. I want to know why you're addicted to Mountain Dew, and why Tasha thinks you don't smile anymore. I want to know why you're here, doing the work you do. I want to know you. And I want you to know me."

Sam sighed, "Why tell me this? You're going back to D.C. and when you get there, what room will there be for me? I'll still be here, still be plugging away in small town Ohio, still alone."

Emily brushed her thumb over Sam's cheek softly, "I don't know how things will work out from here. But I know I want to try."

"And D.C. and Yellow Springs aren't that far away by plane," JJ smiled at the other blonde, dropping a kiss lightly on her shoulder. "What do you think?"

Sam looked between the two agents, "I think you're both crazy. But…" She paused, smiling softly, "I'm willing to try."

With a smile, JJ leaned closer to Sam, kissing her slowly and sweetly, thrilled to finally be able to do what she'd been thinking of all day. Emily watched the two, and felt something click into place, and knew, that no matter how things worked out, these two women would always hold a special place in her heart.

Sam and JJ pulled away from each other slowly, and JJ could finally ask one of the questions that had been on her mind, "How did you put your hand through a window?"

Sam frowned and looked down at her bandaged hand. "I tripped." Looking up at the matching curious expressions on JJ and Emily's faces, Sam somehow knew that the answer she'd given wasn't going to satisfy the women she held dear. "I was working out, and well, I'm a klutz. I didn't have all the lights on, and I'd forgotten that some of my weights were on the floor, I went to grab a bottle of water and I tripped over the weights and fell into the wall, my hand went through a window. Any other questions?" Sam smiled lightly at the other two.

Emily chuckled softly, "Klutzy? Why do I feel like there are other stories that we should hear about?"

Watching the blush rising on Sam's face, JJ couldn't help but join Emily's chuckle, but remembering back to a conversation from earlier that day, a question came to mind and she needed to know the answer. "Why didn't you fight back?"

Sam looked at JJ, a question etched across her face.

"When your ex attacked you. The story you and Tasha told us earlier. Why didn't you fight back?"

Sam smirked, "Did you miss the part about the bottle to the back of the head?"

JJ shook her head, "I caught that part, but still, she shouldn't have been able to get you down and wail on you without you putting up some form of a fight." Emily nodded, "I was wondering the same thing actually."

"I guess you two aren't going to let me give the same reason I gave everyone else huh?" Two heads shook at the same time. "I couldn't hurt her. I'd done enough of that when we were together. She almost lost her family because of her relationship with me, because I 'corrupted' her. She ended up in a lot of pain because of our relationship."

"That wasn't your fault," Emily frowned at the idea of Sam blaming herself for something out of her control.

Sam just shrugged, "No harm was done."

"You had to get stitches!" JJ started muttering under her breathe about crazy exes. "She attacked you."

"It's okay though. It's done and over with. And really, I'd much rather have the two of you on my mind," Sam couldn't help the suggestive wink that came naturally.

JJ smiled and leaned in to kiss Sam again softly, once the kiss ended Emily leaned in to claim Sam's lips herself.

JJ watched the exchange, smiling, before fighting back a yawn. Sam smiled at the blonde, "Tired Jayje?" the only answer was a nod. "Why don't we get some sleep? I've got a couple of guest rooms upstairs. Or…" Sam looked around as if she were about to expose a giant secret, "or I could show you my bedroom. Just for sleeping of course."

Emily nodded, walking around the counter to slip an arm around JJ's waist, easing her up off the stool. "I don't know about JJ, but I'd like to see you room."

Sam smiled brightly, taking Emily's hand in her good one and switched off the lights as she led the pair up the stairs.

* * *

XIV.

It was the sound of rain drops on the roof that woke the women in the morning. Sam was the first to wake, she loved the sound of rain above her head, which is part of the reason she had refinished the attic and made it her master bedroom. So waking up in the morning with JJ snuggled up on one side and Emily on the other, with the sound of rain pounding against her roof; Sam was in her own private version of heaven.

Watching the other two women wake up slowly, Sam imagined that if she had a few more mornings like this she'd develop into a morning person. Unfortunately, she was willing to admit that there would be difficulties. Emily and JJ lived in D.C. and Sam knew this, and she knew she was a small town girl, a small town cop who belonged in Yellow Springs. But waking up with them in her arms in the morning made her forget, and she was more than willing to go along with the dream, and go along with the perfect little slice of heaven she'd found, and focus on waking up with the two women she'd come to adore. While Emily and JJ were pulling out of their slumber, Sam couldn't help but smile and watch the two. Watching their features awaken and their minds realize where they were and who they were with. The three exchanged morning greetings of hellos and gentle kisses before rising from bed to prepare for the day.

While Emily and JJ were getting dressed, Sam slipped downstairs to make breakfast, determined to stretch out the time she had with the women as much as possible. Sam knew, when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs that she would always love hearing the other two women descend from her bedroom down into the rest of the house, knowing that they were welcome and felt comfortable in her domain. Unfortunately the trio couldn't hide in the house all day and get lost in being with each other. Two hours later the three women had made their way back to the police station, but not before Emily and JJ snuck a glance into the barn and frowned at the trail of blood Sam had left the night before. Sam just looked at them sheepishly before starting up the jeep and driving the three of them into work.

* * *

XV.

Sam was glad she didn't have to put up with Morgan's catcalls and Reid's raised eyebrows, questioning where they had been the night before. The Chief took one look at Sam and laughed, then informed the team that the Mayor wanted to meet with them that morning, Sam included. Sam just nodded and went to start up a pot of coffee, knowing everyone else would be in need of it, and no one else could be trusted to make it. After receiving confirmation that the Mayor would be coming to the department for the meeting, the team headed to the conference room to get settled into work. Sam waved at Emily and JJ before turning to go to her desk. Morgan stopped her, "Come on detective, you've been helpful so far – let's see if you can keep up the trend. Sam was surprised when the rest of the team appeared to agree, and followed them in to the conference room. Gathering around the table the team began discussing the case, and their working profile.

"The Unsub is a local." Sam nodded at Reid's assessment, and added her own opinion, "As much as I hate to admit that it's one of my people, it has to be."

Gideon, never one to miss an opportunity that would encourage others to think, or to pick at the puzzle that was someone else's mind, asked Sam for her own explanation.

"Look at the locations," Sam rose, indicating pictures of the crime scenes, "he picked key locations to the village. Places that would make an impact, places for sending a message. Only someone from here would realize the importance of these locations."

Reid and the others nodded in agreement.

Sam, taking their agreement as consent, continued, "The victims too. He picked his victims for a reason. We might not know why, but he certainly does. He picked villagers – people who have spent the majority of their lives here, people who belong to the town just as much as the town belongs to them. Sure they had their fla-" Sam stopped suddenly, a look of confused understanding crossing her face.

"Mike had a gay sister, but voted Republican, which usually meant anti-gay."

Emily nodded, catching onto Sam's train of thought, "The kids were the children of pro-life parents who had abortions."

"Considering how liberal the village is," Hotch started," those could be seen as serious flaws by our Unsub."

Gideon rose and looked at the pictures of the other victims on the board. "We go back to the victims, we find what the Unsub might consider to be serious flaws, maybe we'll find a further link."

With determination everyone took a file and began the search. When Mayor James Hennessy stepped into the room two hours later there were still pouring over the files with apt determination. Hennessy was a soft spoken man who was completely devoted to the village. His entrance into the room was quiet and unnoticed until he spoke, "Stewart." Sam looked up and smiled, "Mayor." Rising, the detective went to shake hands with the Mayor, "James, let me introduce you to everyone. SSAs Aaron Hotchner, Jason Gideon, Derrick Morgan, Emily Prentiss, Jennifer Jareau and Dr. Spencer Reid. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the Mayor of Yellow Springs, James Hennessy." Hennessy and the team exchanged greetings, then they delved into business. Hotch spoke up first, "We're still working on the profile. This Unsub is particularly apt at not leaving evidence. Bur we're doing everything we can."

James nodded, "Any idea when you'll have something for us to use?"

Gideon answered, "Hopefully by this afternoon. Though the more we find out the more we'll be able to tell you."

James nodded again and rose from his seat, "Then I'll let you work. Sam-" he turned towards the blonde detective, "Try not to find anymore dead bodies, will you?"

Sam let out a sharp bark of laughter, "The first one was an accident! I swear!"

Hennessy smiled in a fatherly fashion and left the room.

Reid looked at Sam with interest, "You have a tendency for finding bodies?"

Sam nodded, "Apparently. When I was 12 I got lost in the state park. While I was wandering lost, I found a body. The official report said it was a hiker who fell. James has been making jokes about it ever since. He was the one that found me that day."

Emily smiled, mentally adding to the pile of things she knew about Sam. JJ just shuddered at the idea of being lost in the woods, with a body to boot.

The team went back to work and it was another hour before Reid broke the silence. Reid looked around the room and back down to the papers he was holding, "You guys, do you think it's possible we're wrong? We've been operating under the assumption that the Unsub had to force his victims to go with him. What if they went willingly?"

Morgan looked up, "What do you mean Reid?"

"Well look at this, the power went out on the third night at 10 p.m. and the victim was on her cell phone at the time. She was still on the phone until just after 10. What if someone came to her door, someone she thought she could trust? Someone who had a problem, or needed assistance, possibly related to the power outage. Maybe the victims would have trusted the Unsub and followed them."

Gideon shook his head, "How would that explain the last murders, or any of the ones that followed after that third night?"

Emily jumped in, "Well it would have had to have been someone everyone trusted. A face they all recognized, someone they would have felt comfortable going out with, even with the threat of a serial killer out there. Someone who would be completely unexpected to be capable of such violence."

JJ looked up, a frown on her face, "Or someone in uniform…"

Everyone paused, thinking about the implications. Reid finally said what they were all thinking, "Who are you most likely to trust in a situation like that? A cop, a fireman, an EMT, someone with an official looking uniform or badge, someone with authority."

Morgan looked around the room then back down at the notes in front of him, "Uniform or not, any information we get is going to be from whoever was on the other end of that phone call."

Sam nodded, "It makes sense," a grim expression made its way across her face and JJ could sense her distaste at it being someone the citizens trust, inflicting these horrors on the village.

Hotch stood up, "Well then we need to find out who that victim was talking to. Maybe there's a reason why she hung up, or some bit of information that could be helpful. Whoever was on the other end of that call may know who the Unsub is, and not realize it.

Fate apparently agreed because at that moment Morgan's phone rang. "Garcia," he smiled as he told the team who was calling, "Hey baby girl, what's up?"

"Well, my big human ship of gorgeousness** I got some good news, and some bad news, and if you'd like I can have some naughty news."

The team laughed and Sam just grinned, "Why can't I get a tech analyst like that?"

Emily glared at Sam and JJ just laughed. Garcia just responded, "Well honey, how much cash you got?"

Morgan shook his head, "Garcia I don't think any of us can afford you."

"Well handsome, we'll just have to settle up your bill later. First things first, you wanna hear what I've got for you or not?"

"Alright sugar cakes, lay it on me."

"Whoever is taping into the power system is doing it through city hall. They're making a connection through the computers there. It looks like they set up a hack into the system from the building, and then routed that to a device or computer remotely. Allowing access from off the grounds, while still looking like they are in the building. I'll be able to narrow it down further, but it's going to take a while. It took me longer than it should have to get this far. The security on that system is far superior to what you would normally expect in such a small town. Someone is seriously determined to keep people from looking around inside their business."

"Alright, what else you got for me?"

"Well whoever is controlling those power outages is turning them off and on exactly when he or she wants to. I don't know how they've done it yet, but I'm thinking they've set up a control with the generators in town, making sure that the power doesn't come on anywhere before they're ready for it to. You might want to take a look at the generators and see what you can find. Send me pictures and I'll take a look."

"Thanks baby girl. Anything else we should know?"

"That's all I've got for you now Studly McStudMuffin."

"Well that's a new one."

Garcia's smile could be heard over the phone, "I know. I'm practicing so I can impress that sweet little small town detective that I know is keeping you all company."

"Well consider me impressed fair goddess," Sam smiled, "I really appreciate your help Garcia, and as a heads up, I'm gonna try and steal you from them."

Laughter trickled into the conference room through the floor, "Ooooh, this has the sound of a challenge, I'll anxiously await your attempts."

Moments later the call was ended and the team members plus Sam were formulating their plan of attack for the remainder of the day.

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	5. Parts XVI through XVIII

**A/N: So, here's the next part. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I hope your day goes better than mine has today. I've got a busy couple of days/week coming up, so I'm not sure when I'll be able to get more writing done or post again, but I'll do what I can. Reviews will help motivate me to get more writing done during the next few weeks, just for the record. Anyway, enjoy!  
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**Disclaimer: The only character that belongs to me is Sam, all the rest belong to people with a lot more money than me. **

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* * *

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XVI.

The BAU members split off with the officers from the day before. Reid and Gideon went off to look at the generators and Hotch and Morgan went to speak with more families. JJ and Emily stayed back at the station. Emily wanted to spend more time going over the victims and the actual crimes while JJ was debating the idea of a press conference with Sam.

"We can't do it JJ. In a village of 3,000 people – we've got two ways it'll turn out. One- everyone gets super paranoid and people get hurt. Villagers will think they know who it is and resort to vigilante justice. Innocents will get hurt. Option two, the population will think we're wrong; it couldn't possibly be one of them. Everyone will relax and let themselves feel safe. It'll be easier than ever for the Unsub to get to his victims and the attacks will escalate."

"There's got to be something we can do."

Neither woman noticed that Emily had stopped examining the photos in front of her and was simply watching the blondes' conversation. A smile rose unbidden to her lips. Tilting back in her chair she watched the two volley ideas back and forth. Finally, Emily jumped into the conversation, "What about a vague warning?"

JJ looked up at the brunette, a twinkle in her eye, "How vague?"

It was Sam's turn to lean back and watch the conversation.

Emily smiled at JJ, locking eyes briefly, "We acknowledge that there have been a series of connected murders and they are being investigated. But until we find answers we strongly suggest people stay in their homes during future blackouts and not let anyone in or out."

The shorter detective pulled herself from her musings to offer an opinion, "I'm not sure how well the villagers will take a warning from the FBI."

JJ nodded, "I grew up in a small town, I get that 'big city officials' aren't always trusted."

Sam smiled, "Around here, outsiders aren't always trusted or taken seriously. The villagers aren't opposed to help from other people, but they might not take the warning seriously if it comes from you Jayje."

JJ's heart warmed at the comfortable way that Sam addressed her, "Who will it be then?"

Emily let her eyes rove over the detective slowly, a smirk playing across her features, "How about Sam?"

"Me?" JJ chuckled at the nervousness in Sam's voice in just one word. "Yeah babe. why not?"

"Wouldn't the Chief be a better option?" Sam saw the glance that passed between the other two, "You're worried about how closely he fits the profile?"

Emily nodded, "He is in a position of power. He's respected and dedicated to the village. And-" Sam finished the sentence, "He's involved in the investigation."

JJ stood, moving to rest a hand on Sam's shoulder. "We don't think it's him Sam. But if we release the profile, others might. And we don't want him in such a central position if that happens."

Sam looked up, losing herself in JJ's eyes, "You know- technically, aside from being a woman, I fit the profile too."

Emily moved to take the seat next to Sam, taking the detectives hand beneath the table. Sam's eyes stayed on JJ, but she squeezed Emily's hand.

The press liaison quirked an eyebrow at her detective, her thumb tracing delicate patterns on Sam's neck, "But we know it wasn't you."

Emily smiled at the way the blondes slipped into an easy banter. JJ leaned down, as if to whisper a secret to Sam, "See, I kissed you. I don't kiss murderers, therefore you aren't a murderer."

"Would that hold up in court Agent?"

"I don't know Detective. Maybe you should consult with a lawyer."

Sam smiled and picked up her phone to make a call, "Lucas Stewart please?"… "Samantha Stewart – I'm his sister. Thank you."

Emily grinned at JJ, "I think she's getting that legal advice you asked for."

Sam nodded and grinned, "Hey Luke! – I know, I miss you too. Tell Sarah and the girls I miss them." She paused, listening, while her eyes traveled the forms of JJ and Emily, "I know Luke – I'll come visit soon. Anyway, I've got a legal query for you.' She chuckled, "I promise you'll be amused. – Ready? Okay, so if a gorgeous FBI agent says you can't possibly be a murderer because she doesn't kiss murderers and she kissed you… will that hold up in court? – Nope, not exactly a hypothetical question." JJ began to blush, sitting on the edge of the table and watching Sam. "Luke, I promise I'll tell you about them later." She paused, shifting to hold her phone between her shoulder and her ear, freeing up her hand so she could rest her palm lightly on JJ's knee. "Yes, I'm pretty sure I said them. Luke- the question? You're sure? Thanks. I've got to go, I'm supposed to be working on a case. Yeah, bastard killed kids this time. I'll call later this week, I promise. Love you too big brother, kiss the girls for me. Bye."

Sam hung up at smiled at Emily with a saucy wink before turning to JJ, "Nope. My attorney says it won't hold up."

JJ took Sam's hand in hers, looking down quietly.

Emily and Sam shared a look before Emily spoke up, "Jayje?"

JJ looked at Emily, catching an overwhelming torrent of emotions in her eyes. The liaison knew the profiler understood.

Sam looked between the two before understanding what had changed between them, "I mentioned you to my brother." JJ nodded. Sam looked down thoughtfully, "It took me six months to tell him about Tasha, when he already knew I was gay. And I already mentioned you – both of you."

Emily nodded and squeezed the detectives hand. Sam shook her head and pulled away from the other two, standing she moved across the room to stare at the wall of photos. "So when and where do you want to do this press conference?" JJ hopped off the table, resting her hand on Sam's shoulder, "Sam…"

'I'm not ignoring it JJ, but I need to think. And let's face it, this isn't exactly a work conversation.'

JJ stepped by and gave Sam her space, "Why don't we talk with Hotch and the Chief when they get back?"

Emily agreed, "If we can just keep building at this profile we might not need to give one."

"It's likely he lives alone."

Emily looked at the detective, intrigued by the sudden addition of information, "How do you figure?"

Sam turned to face Emily again, her face and emotions more closed off than the others were used to seeing her, "He's been out during all of the murders. During all the blackouts. If he lived with someone they would have noticed, possibly even voiced concern. They probably would have called us for help, or for fear. I'm just saying, it's a possibility."

A smile tugged at Emily's heart, "You're right. But it's possible that he has a job that requires long hours, late nights. A job where no one would think anything was amiss if he left the house at odd hours to go to work."

JJ settled in at the table, listening to the women share their ideas. Pulling out a notebook, she began work on a list of thing to be included in the potential press conference.

"So," Sam started, "We need to ask the public for two pieces of information," JJ looked up- waiting for information to include in the statement, "We need to ask for information on anyone who might not have been home during any of the blackouts – or for individuals who may have been out around the town – work, volunteering. Whatever people might have been doing."

Emily focused on the photos as she spoke, "It's possible someone saw the Unsub and didn't realize it. There have to be witnesses out there, someone knows something, they just don't realize how important what they know is."

JJ stopped writing her notes, "Do we want to emphasize that we're looking for a witness, not a murderer?"

Emily nodded, "We need to be cautious. This guy won't scare easily. We won't intimidate him. He's used to power, he's used to getting his way. He likely won't see us as a threat until we actually get close. But we don't to run the risk of looking like a threat before we get close."

"It's still possible though-" Sam paused, a deep look of concern expressed on her face, "It's still possible that he might try to chase you off, just to be on the safe side."

Emily cursed under her breathe, "Or he just might escalate, killing faster and killing more."

Sam paled, 'Emily- if he believes loyalty is one of the key characteristics of a villager… I mean you heard what I said earlier about trusting outsiders. Villagers tend to stick together, and if they help us, help you, he might see them as betraying him, and betraying the village."

The room fell into silence as all three women buried themselves in their work, hoping against hope to find a way to protect the citizens of Yellow Springs.

When the others returned they had gathered decidedly less information then they had hoped for.

Reid and Gideon had pictures of the devices that had been installed on the generators. They had discovered that they were remotely controlled, so the Unsub could activate them at the same time he took down the rest of the power in the town.

Morgan and Hotch came up with a lot more of links that showed victims as possibly not being right fits for the village – but other than that they had a whole lot of nothing.

Before anyone realized it, it was once again 10 p.m. and Sam suggested calling it a night, but not before asking Emily and JJ to have lunch with her the following day. The request itself was timid and unsure, something neither agent was used to witnessing in the diminutive detective. They knew they needed to talk, that there were issues to be discussed, but it was generally agreed upon that it was a conversation best had after a good night's sleep.

* * *

XVII.

Emily and JJ rode with the rest of the team back to the Bed and Breakfast, both women almost entirely caught up in their own thoughts. Emily had managed to turn her thoughts away from the immediate case related issues to worry about the toll it was taking on the blonde detective. She'd done her best not to profile Sam, unfortunately, Emily was a very good profiler and her abilities weren't always that easy to compartmentalize. Though compartmentalizing hadn't been high on her list of priorities recently. Maybe if it had been she wouldn't be facing the emotional ties that had grown from the current case. Though in all reality Emily was glad for the way Sam and JJ had both managed to wriggle their way into her heart. Which brought Emily back to her concern over Sam. Since the phone call to her brother earlier, Sam had seemed closed off and distant. Logically, Emily knew Sam was just taking the time to process and analyze her thoughts and feelings. But Emily was still concerned – a serial killer in your town, your best friend dead – and falling in love with two women pretty much at first sight – it was all enough to rattle anyone.

JJ knew better than most how dark and cruel the world was. As a result she let her thoughts wander to happier ideas. She couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to fully try and date both women. She'd know the instant she met them both that she needed them. But only now was she trying to imagine what fully needing them might mean.

It wasn't hard for JJ to picture coming home to the women. She could easily see curling up together for movie nights, special occasions out together and quiet dinners at home as a trio. It wasn't hard for JJ to imagine making the trips back and forth from DC to Ohio just to spend some time together. That thought alone told JJ how easily her heart committed to the idea.

Both women were brought out of their thoughts by their arrival at the Bed and Breakfast. It was a quaint little building that fit in perfectly with its surroundings. Despite the late hour the team was greeted at the door by Mr. and Mrs. LeSalle. The elderly couple had run their little business for years, always taking delight in new guests and acquaintances. Emily couldn't help but like the elderly couple when the offered the team cookies and milk as a snack before bed. Afterwards, Emily and JJ were shown to their room and wished pleasant dreams by Mr. LeSalle.

Inside, JJ couldn't help the smile that crossed her features, realizing she and Emily would be sharing a bed again. The room was cozy and well lit, but obviously intended for visitors wishing a more romantic get-away. JJ crossed the room, sitting on the edge of the bed and bouncing gently, testing the quality of the mattress. Emily smiled, watching the blonde and feeling her tension ease away bit by bit.

Emily was brought out of her silent contemplation by JJ's voice, "How would your family feel about it? The three of us?"

"I don't really know. My mother wouldn't understand. – But she generally doesn't understand me anyway. My father's more the silent observer. He'll watch and see how we interact, how we behave together, what we might give away without realizing it. Once he's watched long enough to make him happy, he'll form his own opinion. We've never been especially close, so I don't really know what his opinion will be. I mean, they do know that I tend to prefer women, but still… I just don't know."

Emily let her gaze travel JJ's face and form slowly, seeking a connection that she needed, "What about your family?"

JJ smiled when Emily sat on the bed next to her, the liaison stretched out her hand, entwining her fingers with the profiler's. "I've never displayed a lot of interest in men, and I know the fact that I'm falling for two women at once won't surprise them. At least that it's women. The two of you? Well, my mom always said I was a very loving person." Emily couldn't help the chuckle that slipped past her lips. "But in all honesty, my family loves me, they always will, even if I do what they don't expect, or if I do something completely crazy – like starting a relationship with two other women. And really, I think if they get to meet the both of you – they'll understand."

Emily smiled, 'I'd like to meet them – eventually."

Brushing a strand of hair out of Emily's eyes, JJ leaned forward and brushed her lips against the other woman's gently. The kiss deepened slowly, as the women leaned into each other, hands and hearts intertwined.

* * *

XVIII.

Sam had just finally allowed sleep to claim her. It had been difficult, after just one night sharing her bed with Emily and JJ, Sam was already accustomed to the weight of them against her. But she fell asleep, finally, wishing for a peaceful slumber framed with dreams of two treasured faces.

When Sam was woken by her phone ringing at 3 a.m. it was obvious someone had other plans.

"Hello?"

"Stewart – get up." The usually calming voice of the Yellow Springs Police Chief was shaking and bitter, "It's a black out Sam. And the Bed and Breakfast is on fire."

Sam dropped her phone with a clatter, only picking it up again once she'd pulled on a pair of jeans and shoes. Grabbing her badge and gun she was out the door in less than 10 minutes.

Her heart pounded in her ears as her jeep muscled it's away through the darkness, the flashing beacon on her dashboard barely cut into the depth of the night. Still she pushed, and in her panicked mind, Sam felt the lick of the flames against her skin and the burn of the smoke consuming her lungs. It wasn't until the jeep skidded around that final corner before the Bed and Breakfast that Sam finally felt her breathing begin to even out. She mentally acknowledged that the B&B was well on its way to being a pile of charred wood and ashes, but emotionally she just knew that Emily and JJ were standing in front of her.

Sam hopped out of the jeep and quickly made her way to where Emily and JJ were standing. Despite the noise of the fire, the sirens and the shouts surrounding them, Sam momentarily lost herself in drinking in the presence of the two women and mentally assuring herself that they were there, that they were alive. Her eyes traveled in their forms quickly, taking in their disheveled appearances, the dirt on their faces, and the faintest glimmers of tears on their cheeks. "Did everyone make it out?" Emily turned to face the detective, a glimmer of something unspoken danced in her eyes, before returning to the stoic presence she'd been fighting to control, "We don't know about the LeSalles."

Panic registered briefly on Sam's face, before nodding and racing off in the direction of the fire chief, Emily watched as a quick conversation passed between the two before turning to look at the blonde standing next to her, by the time Emily turned back to look for Sam, the blonde detective had disappeared into fire gear and was heading into the Bed and Breakfast. "What the,-" Emily started, but was interrupted by Chief Jacobs approach.

"Agent Prentiss, Agent Jareau," Jacobs greeted them, offering each woman a blanket he had carried over with him, as the women wrapped the blankets around themselves, he turned to watch the commotion around them. "We've not been able to find the LeSalles, I imagine that's where Sam took off too." JJ looked up sharing the same look of confusion that Emily had worn moments before. The chief smiled sadly, "We're a small town. A lot of us serve different positions as needed. Me, I drive a school bus when necessary. Sam volunteers with the YSFD, among other things."

Emily and JJ nodded, before turning back to watch the fire, to watch for Sam.

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**Thanks for reading. (I'm sure I made some mistakes, but I'll try and get them fixed here soon, when I can keep my eyes open)**


	6. Parts XIX through XX

**A/N: Hey everyone, sorry it's taken me so long to update. I've been trying to keep several sections ahead of my updates, but with this post that gap is gone, but I didn't want to put off update much longer. Thanks for being so patient! On a positive note, I'm done with classes, so hopefully I'll be able to get into writing more. Anyway, just wanted to say thanks, the reviews have been awesome! And they're helping bust the writer's block I've got. But anyway, enjoy guys!**

**A/N #2: I really don't know much/anything about police procedures and things, just so you know, I'm pretty much making this all up as a go. And thanks for reading and being awesome!  
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**Disclaimer: Still not mine. (But Christmas is coming up?)  
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XIX.

As much as they felt the immediate need to get back to working on the case there had been an acknowledgment of certain things that had to be done first. The team had been driven to the nearest shopping center to pick up new clothes, toiletries, and other things that needed replaced. Even in their smoke hazed state of mind the BAU members had been able to grab their firearms, badges, cell phones and laptops as they darted out of the building. But the less important things were left behind.

So it was that several hours later the team was gathered around the table they'd been using at the police department, all looking a little more haggard and a little less put together than normal. Cups of coffee were making their way around the table to each agent when Sam walked through the door, a bulky file under her arm and a half finished Mountain Dew in her hand. Without ever looking at the individuals gathered in the room, she sank into her seat and began opening up the file. Had she looked up she would have realized that a room full of people was watching her with concern and two sets of eyes with deeper concern than the others.

Sam sighed, drinking the last of her caffeine before pulling a photo out of the file, "Mr. and Mrs. LeSalle didn't make it out. Their bodies were found in their bedroom, still in their bed. It's likely that they succumbed to the smoke, depending on where the fire began. The fire chief, Jake Castone, is still over their. He'll give me a call when they figure out the cause of the fire and where it started." Finally looking up, Sam looked around the room, never catching anyone's eye, just briefly giving them the impression she was focused on them, before moving on.

The detective's actions were speaking a world of information to the profilers, even though she was purposefully trying to avoid that. Morgan was the first one to break the silence, "What aren't you telling us Sam?"

"We've got another scene. It's been secured, but we didn't find out about it until about half an hour ago. It's far enough from the public eye that we don't have to worry about anyone seeing it. The chief will be heading over with you as soon as you're ready to go."

"Stewart," Hotchner spoke up, "you're not going with us?"

"I can't," she paused, fighting back the pain she'd been holding for the past hour, "I found the scene," biting her lip, Sam finally looked up at Emily and JJ before looking back down at the photos in front of her, "it's on my property. And I know the victim."

Silence filled the room, and the two female agents exchanged worried looks before focusing again on their blonde detective. Emily spoke first, "Who is it?"

"An ex-girlfriend. I haven't seen her in a year and a half. Her name is… was, Ashley Graham."

JJ looked at the detective, doing her best to keep her personal feelings from showing, "The one that hit you with the bottle?"

Sam looked up, trying her best to avoid JJ's eyes, "One and the same."

Catching the confusion and concern on the faces of the men in the room, Emily told the story to the rest of the team. The men sat in silence and absorbed the story, occasionally glancing over at the once more stoic detective.

Hotch was the first to speak to her, "Sam, we'd like to have you with us out there. You more than anyone else would know if something were out of place or not as it should be. But I understand if you need to step back from this for now."

"I want nothing more than to catch the bastard that did this. As long as you don't think there will be a conflict of interest, I'm with you."

* * *

XX.

A short while later the vehicles carrying the Detective and the members of the BAU pulled up at Sam's home. Sam turned and looked at her passengers as she parked, "I'm telling you now, this isn't going to be pretty." Morgan and Reid just nodded at her, the two men were still trying to figure out why they were riding with the detective instead of the other women, but figured it had something to do with how off balance Stewart was feeling at the moment.

Climbing from the car, Sam led the men towards the back of the house, striding purposefully towards the edge of the nearby woods, where yellow tape could be seen in the breeze and a small number of officers were gathered to process the scene. Despite the horrors they had seen, even Morgan had to pause at this scene.

The body lay in a pile at the foot of a six foot tall stake. The body itself had been broken into five pieces, four of which lay at the foot of the stake. The fifth, the head, was impaled on the stake itself. Painted across the forehead, in the tell tale red of blood, was the world "TRAITOR."

Reid was the first to speak, "Well this is mostly definitely a message. More direct then anything else we've had from this Unsub. Was the victim from this area originally?"

Sam stood back, watching the others move through the scene. "No, she lived in Kentucky originally. Only came to Ohio for college, only came to the village to look for me."

Morgan circled the stake slowly, taking in the carnage before him. "So there is no obvious reason for her to be labeled a traitor."

The detective shook her head, "None that I can think of."

Stepping closer to Sam, Emily finally said what they'd all been thinking, "It looks more as if it were meant as a direct message for you Sam."

The blonde woman nodded again, "But is he taunting me? Or is he targeting me? Or something completely different?" She stepped away from the agents when her phone began to ring, answering the call with her back to them, "Stewart," she listened for several minutes, before sighing loudly and ending the call. Sam looked up at the profilers, before filling them in on her phone call, "That was the Jake Castone. They've confirmed that the fire at the Bed and Breakfast was indeed arson. More so, the LeSalles were tied to their bed. And the fire was set in the basement, where they slept." Sam stopped talking, looking down at the ground thoughtfully, before looking back up and meeting Emily's eyes, "I'm not the only one he's sending messages to then. When we get back we need to figure out where you all will be staying, and I'm going to suggest that we split you up to stay with members of the department. Just for safety's sake. If this guy is taking such an immediate interest in those of us working the case, I don't want anyone left alone."

"That's a good idea, and it makes sense. I don't want my people put at any more risk then they already are," Hotch couldn't help but agree with the plan the detective had suggested, but there was a problem with it, "But where will you stay Stewart?"

"I'm not letting that bastard chase me out of my home Agent Hotchner. The scene is far enough back on my property that there should be no problems with me staying in my home."

"I understand that," the dark haired man looked at his team, his gaze focusing briefly on Prentiss and Jareau, "but if we don't stay alone, you don't either. He's got an interest in you, and we're vested in keeping you safe as well."

Sam could practically feel the weight of Emily and JJ on her as they watched her, waiting for her response to Hotchner. As it was, Sam resisted the urge to growl at Hotchner for trapping her in her own argument, but she reluctantly agreed with him,

With the matter of Sam not being allowed to stay on her own settled, the team went back to gaining everything they could from the body in front of them. It was Reid himself that noticed just how specific a message they were dealing with, "This Unsub wanted to make it very clear that he was dealing with a case of treason. Look at how the body is divided, right down the middle horizontally and vertically… she was literally quartered. I'm guessing if we can get much back from an autopsy we'll find strangulation played a major part in her death, or right before her death, and it's likely that the organs were removed prior to death."

"What's your point Reid?" Morgan couldn't help the mixture of curiosity and annoyance that crept into his voice.

"I'm saying she was quartered. In England from around 1200 to 1800 the punishment for treason was to be hanged, drawn and quartered. The convicted would be drawn through the streets by horse, hanged until they almost died, then taken down, they would be disemboweled, before being decapitated. After the decapitation the body would be cut into quarters, then usually sent to the corners of the city, kingdom, et cetera, to serve as a warning. In London, the head would usually go on a stake on the London Bridge." The youngest profiler stopped to think for a few moments, "Though this is a historically inaccurate use of the punishment. Women as a rule were burnt at the stake instead, to maintain a sense of modesty. Apparently our Unsub has no such concerns."

Morgan frowned, "There's not much more we're going to be able to get from here. There's no sign of tire tracks, no sign of foot prints, no blood trails, no way to track the Unsub. There was no sign of any disturbances around the barn or house, so this is all we've got."

"Alright then," Hotch turned to walk back towards the vehicles, "let's head back. Morgan, when we get back I want you to take a look at the photos from the fire, see what you can figure out from how the place was set to burn. Reid focus on this one, see what you can find out about the victim, her past, and her connections to the village, she's the one that doesn't fit into the scenario. Prentiss, I want you to go back and look at the first three nights, go over everything we've got. Gideon, take the two nights after that. There have to be some connections we're missing, and we need to find any little detail we can. JJ, I need you to get things set up for a press conference, we're going to have to issue a warning to the community, have Stewart with you on that. Make the statement together if necessary; just do your best to avoid riots." With that, the profilers and their media liaison began climbing into vehicles to get back to the grindstone, and solving their case.

Hotchner pulled Sam aside right before climbing into their vehicles, "Stewart – I know PR isn't your usual thing, but you know these people, and they know you, you'll know hot to reach them, and they'll trust you."

The blonde smiled reluctantly, "I get it Hotch. Not to mention it'll give you time to get time of death on Ashley and confirm that it wasn't me." Hotchner just arched an eyebrow, before nodding. "I didn't cross the tape at the scene for a reason, I know that despite how aware we all are of my innocence, it needs to be proven, just to protect our asses in the end. Besides, I don't mind working with JJ." The stoic agent clapped her on the shoulder before moving into his own vehicle. And like that, they were on their way back to the police department to catch their Unsub.

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**Thanks for reading.**


	7. Parts XXI through XXVII

**A/N: **Well guys, this looks like the final chapter(s). I realize it's taken me about three months to finish this since my last update, and I'm really sorry about that. I also realize that this next section is a little…weak. I'm hoping to go back and do rewrites but I needed to get this finished before it drove me completely nuts.

**A/N 2: **As always, all mistakes are my own, no one's read this yet, no beta or anything.

**A/N 3: **Thanks for reading along and sticking with me through the whole thing.** *love* **

**A/N 4: **Yes... I had to come back like 2 hours later and post a fourth Author's note. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far! Seriously, it's awesome and it makes it such much easier for me to find inspiration to write more. You all are awesome! **  
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**Disclaimer: **Still not mine.

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XXI.

A short while later the team members were gathered around the conference table once more. This time, each individual was consumed in their set task before them, JJ and Sam were the only ones out of the room, and they were sat at Sam's desk in the bullpen, going over details for the press conference. Both blondes were bent over the notepad on Sam's desk, circling and highlighting key points to include, while furiously crossing out details that should be kept from the public. They were determined to keep to the previous plan of warning the villagers, without inciting them to any form of vigilante violence.

Neither woman mentioned the fact that the longer they sat together, working on JJ's statement, the closer they moved towards each other. They had decided that JJ would make the statement to the public and the press later that afternoon, but in a show of solidarity both the Chief and Sam would be standing with her. They were putting the finishing touches on what JJ needed to say, with Sam's hand innocently resting on JJ's thigh, tracing light designs across the fabric of her slacks, when Morgan stuck his head out the conference room door and called for them, "Penelope's on the phone, and I think you two might want to hear this."

With a nod of agreement, the blondes rose slowly from their seats, moving away from each other for the first time in hours, and moved into the conference room to join the rest of the team. As soon as the women were seated, Morgan switched the phone onto speaker, "Alright baby girl, we're all here."

"By all, do you mean alllllll, my beautiful man?" The smile in Garcia's voice was audible and easily detected by everyone in the room. Almost as one they turned to smile at Sam, knowing that Garcia was really interested in the detective at the moment.

Morgan could barely hold back his chuckle when answering Garcia,"Yes sugar, Sam's here too."

"Well hello there luscious." Sam bit her lip to keep her laughter back at Garcia's greeting. "Well hello there Goddess. It's always a pleasure to hear from my favorite deity." Sam winked at Morgan, "Speaking of my favorite deity, I'm still working on my plans to lure you out here to me."

"Is that so? Well my lovely MctemptingMuffin maybe I'll just have to come out and visit you." Sam couldn't resist smiling at Garcia's lightheartedness, a drastic difference from the rest of the day, "I'll make sure to clear my schedule for you. Now I hear you've got some information for us beautiful?"

"Well my lovelies, I do have a couple things for you. Not all of it good, most of it decidedly not so. Hold your groans – I do have a little bit for you. Numero Uno, I couldn't get anything more from the video. The lighting was too poor and there was nothing I could do to improve the photo." Garcia paused, anticipating the collective mutterings from the profilers before continuing with her discoveries, "Numero deuce, the phone call from when victim three was taken… unfortunately it was to an automated credit card line, she was trying to pay her bills. On the upside, turns out that this company records all calls, for internal purposes. I'm doing what I can to get my hands on that recording, I'm not sure it'll pick anything up, but I'll try and should have that back to you soon."

Sam banged her forehead against the edge of the table, letting out a frustrated groan. "Thank you Penelope." The group ended the call and settled back to go over the evidence and the profile once more.

Back at Quantico, one Penelope Garcia frowned at her computer systems; frustration was sinking in for everyone involved with the case. If Garcia knew anything it was that frustration made patience run short and tempers flare, with no other alternatives, she reached for her phone. For the first time in three days a true shining smile broke across her face, after all, there were plans to be made.

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XXII.

With Garcia scheming away the rest of the team was left pouring over the evidence, or the lack thereof, crime scene photos and everything they knew about the Unsub. They toiled long into the night until finally, seconds stretched into minutes, minutes to hours, and finally hours built up until the team finally called it quits at just a quarter past 2 in the morning. Yawning and stretching Sam rose from the table, shaking out the stiffness in her shoulders, silently thankful that Hotchner had finally decided to call it a night. No words were spoken while Emily and JJ gathered themselves and their belongings and made their way slowly to Sam's jeep. Sam settled into the driver's seat, resting her forehead against the steering wheel and doing her best to convince herself to stay awake. She sighed audibly, turning her head to look at the blonde in the seat next to her, "I never did get to take the two of you out for lunch, what with everything that happened today. Any chance we can make a rain check?"

Emily leaned forward from her seat in the pack, pressing her palm gently to the detective's cheek, "Of course, we'll hold you to that."

Sam smiled, pressing a kiss to Emily's palm lightly, locking her eyes on JJ's. "Let's go home."

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XXIII.

When JJ and Emily woke in the morning it was to an empty spot in the bed between them and a note on the dresser. JJ reached across the brunette and looked at the letter while rubbing the exhaustion from her eyes, sighing, she read the letter aloud,

_"My lovelies… I'm sorry for not being there when you woke this morning. An idea came to me and I needed to head back to the station. A couple of my guys are sitting out front in a cruiser, I asked them to cover the house, just to be on the safe side. They'll bring you to the station when you're ready to come in. Take your time. I spoke to Hotch before he left and he said everyone needed some extra rest, we aren't meeting until this afternoon._

_yours, S."_

Emily looked at the letter thoughtfully before turning to look at the clock on the bedside table. Shrugging she laid back in the bed and pulled JJ down with her. "It's only 8 and she did say we had till this afternoon… a couple more hours of sleep won't hurt." JJ smiled and snuggled into the brunette, absently missing their detective.

In the center of the Yellow Spring police department Sam was already on her third cup of coffee as she listened to the incessant chatter of the other officers. Even as she heard her name being called from the other end of the room her head sank closer and closer to her desk as exhausting caught up with her.

When Sam woke up a short bit later, it was to the sound of her name being called by a rather bubbly personality she hadn't yet met. Yawning, she stretched and looked up at the lovely figure sitting on the corner of her desk.

"Hello there McBeautiful."

"Garcia?"

The tech nodded from her perch on Sam's desk. "I was going crazy back at Quantico, I figured I could still do all my work from out here. And it'd give me a chance to take a look at the devices controlling the generators."

Sam stood and stretched, grinning for the first time in days at the Technical Analyst, "I'm glad to have you here. How about I give you the nickel tour?"

Sam led Garcia through the halls of the department, finally stopping at the conference room, "Everyone else should still be getting some rest, but this is where we've been working the past few days. Come on in and make yourself comfortable."

Garcia unpacked her laptop and settled in with a few additional computers on loan from Sam and began setting up. Sam leaned against the counter, starting another pot of coffee and watched the Tech Guru get herself settled in to work. "I'm glad you're here Penelope… if for no other reason then I know the rest of your team will be thrilled to see you today."

"Thank you Sam, now how bout you go curl up for a bit. You're exhausted and I'm sure you could use the sleep."

Sam nodded and dragged a pillow and sleeping bag out of a cabinet. She smiled sheepishly at Garcia before curling up to take a nap in the corner. She was still there when the rest of the team finally arrived, JJ and Emily leading the way in their quest to find the diminutive detective. Garcia hushed each agent as they entered the room, nodding towards the sleeping woman before rising and greeting each of her friends with a hug.

The men stepped out into the hallway to hear what Garcia had found since she'd arrived while JJ and Emily crept over to the woman that had imbedded herself in their hearts. JJ leaned down, pressing a light kiss to Sam's forehead while Emily whispered her name softly. Both women watched in a quiet trance as the smaller woman slowly roused from her slumber. "Hey lovelies…"

Emily smiled, "Hey yourself." JJ couldn't help the slight grin that crept over her face, "Hi you."

Sam basked in the simple joy of being with the other women for a moment, finally having her fill she started to sit up, "I guess it's time to get back to work huh?" Looking between the women and taking in their matching nods, Sam climbed up from her sleeping bag, reaching out quickly to pull both women into her arms for a lingering hug. "I'm sorry I wasn't there when you woke up this morning…" Any further conversation was cut off with the return of the rest of the team.

"So I just got the audio file from the credit card company. I'm going to work on it and see what I can pull from it," Garcia looked up at the members of her team.

Hotchner nodded, "Sounds good. The rest of us have a press conference to attend. You keep working on that while we're gone? I want to be able to hear whatever you can pull from it by the time we get back."

Garcia nodded, letting her gaze travel over the members of the BAU and one Detective Sam Stewart as they left the room.

* * *

XXIV.

JJ stood on the steps of the Yellow Spring Police Department, flanked on either side by members of the investigation. Looking fondly at JJ, Sam stepped up in front of the crowd to begin the Press Conference.

"Good Afternoon Folks. I'm Detective Stewart of the Yellow Springs Police Department. I'm just up here to thank you all for coming and hand you over to the capable hands of Agent Jareau of the FBI."

JJ couldn't hold back her grin as she stepped up, trading places with Sam. "Hello everyone, as you're all aware there has been a series of murders here in Yellow Springs. In connection with the Yellow Springs PD members of the FBI's Behavior Analysis Unit have been working to build a profile of the unknown subject. I'd like to share a few of those details with you today."

Sam stepped back closer to the doors, hoping for an escape into the building. She enjoyed watching JJ work, but the profile that was being released was nagging at her brain. She took the opportunity when a few reporters began asking questions and slipped back into the building, looking for something productive to do.

Sam headed back to the conference room, another cup of coffee wouldn't hurt anything, and she could take the chance to check in on Garcia. Stepping into the conference room she stopped to watch Garcia work, the Tech Analyst had headphones on and was clearly lost in deep concentration over her current project. It wasn't until Sam stepped into her line of sight that Garcia even noticed someone else was in the room.

"I got the audio from the credit card company."

All thoughts of coffee suddenly slipped from Sam's mind, "Did you get anything from it?"

"Have a listen."

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XXV.

Emily, JJ and the rest of the team were just walking back into the building when Sam rushed past them in a hurry. Sam was too caught up in her rush to even notice the looks of confusion on the faces of the FBI agents.

Morgan watched as Sam raced out the door, "Where's she going in such a hurry?" Reid just shrugged his shoulders while Emily and JJ shared a look of concern.

"Where's Sam?" Garcia questioned her team members and she walked down the hall from the conference room.

Hotchner looked at Garcia, "She just rushed out the door. Is something wrong?"

"I got the audio from the credit card company. I did my magic and pulled a voice other than the victims from the tape. Sam had a listen and then just got this look on her face before darting out the door."

"She knows who the Unsub is," Reid looked at the others. "Something in that recording gives it away."

Morgan nodded, "If she's gone after the Unsub then we need to figure out where she's going, otherwise things are going to end badly."

In that moment Emily needed control, she needed to now what was going on, she needed to protect the detective. "JJ and I are going after her, she can't have gotten far, we know her car and we have a better chance of finding her. Morgan and Reid… listen to that audio, see what you can get from it? Garcia… work your magic, see if you can locate Sam with the GPS in her phone." Emily paused and looked up at Gideon and Hotchner, she just shrugged and grabbed JJ's hand before running out the door.

A few miles away Sam's battered jeep was jerking through the streets, she knew who their Unsub was, and she'd be damned if she let him hurt anymore innocent lives. Cursing and muttering under her breathe she had eyes only for her destination.

Back at the police department Garcia finally got wired into the GPS on Sam's phone. Picking up her own phone, she dialed Emily's number, hoping she wasn't too late.

Down the hall the men listened to the audio from the credit card company… as one they looked at each other and grabbed car keys, dashing out the door.

Emily and JJ looked at each other after hearing Garcia's news. JJ flipped out her phone, dialing the blonde detective, Emily flipped on the lights in the SUV and raced through traffic.

Finally reaching her destination Sam jumped out of her car, dashing into the building and up the stairs. Answering her phone as she rang, "JJ?"

"Sam … we know who it is, don't go into this alone."

"I have no choice JJ. He's hurt too many people. I won't let him hurt anyone else. I won't let him near you."

"We'll bring him in together."

"No Jayje… this ends now… Tell Emily I love her. And JJ… I love you."

Sam flipped her phone shut as she drew her sidearm. Stopping, she pulled her phone out again, dialing a number before putting the phone back in her pocket.

* * *

XXVI.

Across town the phone in Chief Jacobs office rang, he answered it, just in time to hear Sam's voice filtering through as she burst into the office she'd been looking for.

"Why did you do it James?"

"_Sam? Sam is that you? Sam what's happening?"_

"Detective Stewart I promise you I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I'm not 12 anymore Mayor, I won't fall for your lies. I know it's you. You're the one killing the villagers."

"Don't kid yourself Samantha, they weren't villagers, not real ones anyway."

_Realizing what was happening; Jacobs put the phone on speaker, so the rest of the officers could hear the confrontation. Garcia, using her technical genius, connected the call to JJ's phone and Morgan's. No one was walking into the situation blind._

"How can you say that? They belonged here, they were your people. You were their mayor."

"They were imposters, fakes, scum!"

Sam advanced on the Mayor slowly, her gun drawn and level.

"They voted for you, trusted you. They welcomed you into their homes, their families, their lives."

"They betrayed us all!"

"Why the children?"

"Really Samantha? The great Detective Stewart hasn't figured it out yet? THEIR PARENTS DESERVED TO SUFFER!"

_Half a mile away Emily gripped the steering wheel, trying to avoid pedestrians as she raced towards the scene. JJ looked out the window frantically, worried about the woman she had come to care so much for._

"You're not god James. You can't make those decisions. Now I'm asking you, please step out from behind the desk and put your hands behind your head."

"I'm not going to let you arrest me."

"I'm not sure you have much of a choice Mayor. I'm the one with the gun."

"Would you really shoot an unarmed man Samantha? Such a respectable member of the community at that?"

"Maybe I won't shoot you. But I will use force if necessary."

The mayor backed up slowly against the far wall, turning to examine a map of the village.

"Look at this village, look at this map. This place exists because of me, because I ran it the best."

Sam stepped closer, "No. This village exists because we're a family. We protect each other and fight for each other. This village existed before you, and we'll exist after you're arrested today."

James turned around quickly, pulling a shotgun from it's hiding spot beneath the map, "Now I'm afraid that's where you're wrong Samantha." _Across the village and in the SUV occupied by Emily and JJ the pump action of a shotgun seemed deafening. All bets were off as police officers and FBI agents raced to the location, desperate to get to their coworker in time. _

"Just give it up James. You know you can't win."

"Oh Samantha, see that's where you're wrong. Once I shoot you, and you fire at me, I'll be able to claim self defense. You'll be too dead to argue, and the world will believe you were killing the villagers, blaming them for your own inadequacies. I'll get the credit, the reward, and most importantly no one will ever challenge me for my position as Mayor. I'll own this town Samantha, and everyone in it."

"Bastard."

"Say good bye Sam."

_Spurred by the idea of Sam in trouble Emily and JJ raced up the stairs towards the Mayors office, having arrived at the building just in time to hear shots fired. _

Bursting into the office Emily leveled her gun at the Mayor where he stood with the barrel of his shotgun pressed against Sam's temple.

"Hello Agent Prentiss, Agent Jareau. I believe I've found our murderer."

JJ leveled her gun at James as well, standing beside Emily, trying to hide her concern for Sam. "Put the gun down."

James just shook his head, "Why would I do that? She killed all those people she deserves to die."

"We know the truth Hennessey, so put down the gun before anything worse happens."

"I don't think so. Now ladies, why don't you put down your guns before the little detective here ends up with her brains serving as the newest paint in my office."

As the Mayor pumped new shells into his shotgun and positioned his gun back against Sam's head, time seemed to freeze as a series of shots rang out through the room and 6 shots were emptied into the man.

As Hennessey hit the ground JJ and Emily holstered their weapons and turned their attention to Sam. She was sprawled out on the ground, her gun clasped tightly in her in her right hand, blood seeping out beneath her left shoulder and her right thigh.

JJ hit her knees beside Sam, frantically trying to stop the bleeding from her leg. Emily dialed for help with one hand while trying to put as much pressure as possibly on Sam's shoulder.

After firing her two shots at Hennessey, Sam began falling into unconsciousness, desperately trying to keep her senses, she found herself at the mercy of two angels. Emily and JJ were the only connection she had to the world at the moment and as blood seeped from her wounds and coldness began to overtake her, she wondered if they would know how she felt, if she died. For all her pain and all her worrying, Sam couldn't cling to consciousness, and as feet pounded up the steps outside the office, Sam lost herself to oblivion, knowing only of the weight of Emily and JJ against her and their voices in her ears.

* * *

XXVII.

Six hours later Emily and JJ sat side by side in a waiting room at the hospital, fingers entwined they whispered softly to each other, words of encouragement and consolation. The rest of the team was at the police department, finishing up details on the case, and doing what paperwork could be done so far from the BAU office. The women were lucky, Hotch and Gideon seemed to understand their need to wait for news on the blonde detective. Though they weren't the only ones waiting, pacing up and down the hallway was Tasha, she'd been pacing the same pattern into the floor since she'd arrived 5 hours earlier. Emily was fairly certain she could see the visible marks of Tasha's anxiety on the floor.

It wasn't long after Emily returned from her third trip for coffee that they finally heard news about Sam. A doctor in worn medical scrubs made his way down the hallway, approaching the three women.

"Natasha Kent?'

Tasha's pacing stopped suddenly and her face turned a white shade of pale, Emily and JJ were immediately at her side, wrapping their arms around her, supporting her. They all paled as they listened to the doctor's report. Sam had lost a lot of blood, she'd received multiple transfusions, but the blood loss still worried the surgeon. The bullet to her shoulder had been a clean through and through, but the damage was to the point Sam might never gain full mobility of her arm. The second bullet had down severe nerve, muscle, tissue and even bone damage to her leg. Frankly, the doctor would be surprised if she ever managed to walk without a limp.

Tasha slumped against the other women, and they lead her to a seat. All three were anxiously waiting the moment they'd be able to see Sam.

Emily honestly didn't know what image has frightened her more – Sam on the floor bleeding with a shotgun to her head, or Sam, here in the hospital, pale against the white sheets. She knew enough to realize that neither image would allow her to sleep well any time soon.

Sam still hadn't woken up from her surgery but JJ was determined to still be there, holding her hand when she did. Really, she was worried about both of the women she held in her heart. Emily hadn't said a word since they got to Sam other than when it was necessary. Glancing across the still form in front of her JJ caught Tasha's eye and smiled reassuringly. Tasha smiled back half-heartedly. She glanced up at Emily and then back JJ, concern evident in her voice, "Is Emily okay?"

"I don't know," their conversation was whispered, "She hasn't said anything since..." Tasha simply nodded. "I'm worried about what will happen, to Emily and Sam, when you two go back to D.C."

JJ frowned, looking down at the pale hand grasped in hers, "I haven't really thought about it. I don't want to think about it. It hurts too much."

"I know," Tasha sympathized, "but you've got to go back."

"I don't know if I can… but I have to. We have to, our jobs, our lives are there. But…"

"But?"

"Sam's here."

"You're serious about her, aren't you?"

"About both of them. And I don't know what to do."

"Go home." Both women looked down in surprise at the raspy voice coming from the woman between them.

Sam's words were ignored in the burst of excitement that flowed through the room at seeing her awake.

"Welcome back Sammy!"

"James?"

"He's dead honey. Between you and Agents Over and Kill here, he's well beyond it actually."

"Good."

"I'm going to go let the nurses know you're awake. I'll be right back."

As Tasha stood, Emily slipped in and took her place, taking Sam's hand in hers, placing a light kiss on the fresh bandage covering the wounds from the window.

Sam's eyes flicked between the two women slowly, JJ looked stoic and lost, and Emily seemed to be fighting back tears.

Emily's voice broke the silence first, "I thought we'd lost you."

"Right here."

"No more getting shot."

"Do my best."

JJ sat, watching the exchange between the two and felt her heart settle into place, "Come back to D.C. with us. We'll take care of you while you recover, and then we'll figure things out from there."

"Can't."

Emily had been thrilled at JJ's suggestion, but now she frowned, "Why not?"

"Belong here, you two – go." Sam paused, fighting for energy, "belong together."

"Sam," Emily began, "the three of us…"

Sam just shook his head slowly, "Two."

JJ could feel her heart breaking and knew Emily felt the same, "It won't work without you."

Emily nodded, "We belong with you, and you belong with us. The two of us can't make it on our own."

Sam looked up, meeting their eyes again, "Try." Then her eyes closed and she fell back, succumbing to unconsciousness.

JJ let out a muffled sob before reaching for Emily. In a heart beat the two were up and in each others arms, craving the support and comfort of the other.

Tasha poked her head in the door and frowned at the pained expressions she found, "JJ? Emily?"

JJ turned to the detective's friend, "We're going back to D.C. Tasha. Sam doesn't want or need us here."

"I'm sure that's not true."

Emily just nodded her head slowly before pulling a business card out of her wallet and jotting a few things down before handing it to Tasha. "Our phone numbers, cell, work and home. And our email addresses," meeting Tasha's gaze for the first time, her pain showed through, "Let us know how she's doing?"

Tasha took the card and reached out, hugging the other two tightly, "Of course."

A few hours later, when Sam woke up, it was to the glare of her best friend.

"Why'd you do that Sammy?"

"It's better this way."

"Why?"

"They shouldn't have to sacrifice for me. Shouldn't have to take care of me. And let's face it, I'm damaged goods."

"They love you Samantha!"

"I know. And I love them. That's why I had to send them away."

* * *

**Yes, that's where I'm ending it. **

* * *

Thanks for sticking around. And I do have ideas for 2 more stories to continue this series. So… it's not the final end for our gals.

* * *

**THANKS! **


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